Wilhelm Huck
Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
”We are a diverse group of (bio)chemists, physicists and computational scientists studying complex molecular systems. We combine automation and machine learning to understand and control mesoscale systems that operate far from equilibrium and with properties that arise from interactions between molecules that span a wide range of length- and timescales. Recent breakthroughs include the first example of in chemico reservoir computation (Nature (2024), 631, 549-555), time-dependent recipes to optimize multi-enzyme cascades (Nature Chemistry (2026), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-026-02138-1) and self-dividing coacervates (Nature Nanotechnology (2018) 13 , 849-855)”
”Membranized coacervates as synthetic cells: Most bacterial cells are small, membrane-bound, and highly crowded. Current synthetic cell approaches typically produce much larger liposomes with dilute interiors. This project proposes a strategy driven by active learning and automation to ‘evolf’ small, highly crowded synthetic cells by wrapping liposomes around charged coacervates. Coacervates are phase-separated, aqueous structures in the submicrometer range formed through weak interactions between polyelectrolytes or via protein and peptide phase separation. By constructing coacervates containing E. coli DNA and lysate, and encapsulating them with E. coli lipid membranes, we aim to obtain synthetic cells closely mimicking natural bacterial cells.”
For more information, visit Huck’s labpage.
| Main area(s) | Sub-area(s) |
|---|---|
| Information processing and evolution of synthetic cells | Directed evolution of minimal cells Protocell evolution experiments Autocatalytic reaction networks |