Advancing Artificial Cell Technologies Through UK-Japan Collaboration

Paul Beales and Mike Webb from the University of Leeds recently visited ACROPATH project partners and collaborators in Japan to review progress and coordinate the next phase of the UK-Japan research programme.

The visit included meetings at JAMSTEC, RIKEN and the Institute of Science Tokyo, where discussions focused on synthetic cell technologies, bioinformatics approaches for enzyme discovery, and the development of cell-free gene expression systems for pathogen detection.

ACROPATH is developing engineered artificial cells capable of detecting pathogenic bacteria and clinically important biomarkers, including indicators of antimicrobial resistance. The meetings provided an opportunity to align research activities across the consortium, explore opportunities for wider collaboration, and advance the integration of key technologies underpinning the project's artificial diagnostic cell platform.

By combining expertise in protein engineering, synthetic membranes, cell-free biology and genetic circuit design, the consortium is working towards rapid and robust diagnostic technologies for future infectious disease detection and monitoring.