Project Description

The objective of InCell is to investigate basic aspects of endosymbiosis in order to establish the principles for the future use of artificial endosymbiosis in synthetic biology. Developing the framework for the modular assembly of orthogonal synthetic organelles can have profound applications in different fields, including medicine and agriculture.

In this project, we aim to recapitulate endosymbiosis by focusing on the molecular level. We will explore three mechanisms that we feel are essential for the establishment of a stable endosymbiotic relationship; mutual dependency between the interacting organisms, control of replication, and protein and metabolite exchange. These mechanisms will be investigated in three parallel sub-projects. At this stage, our team will not attempt to create an endosymbiont, but instead investigate the mechanisms in free-living cells in a bottom-up approach.

We envision that artificial endosymbiosis could be applied in a broad range of fields, including agriculture, medicine and production of valuable compounds. A deeper understanding of the relationships intertwining endosymbionts and their hosts could, for example, unravel new knowledge applicable for the treatment of mitochondrial diseases or develop humanized antibodies, while a living compartment able to fix nitrogen from air could decrease the use of fertilizers in agricultural production.