Latest News from ACROPATH

Follow the project on LinkedIn for further updates and related project activities.

As part of ACROPATH, Dr Yusei Sato from JAMSTEC visited the University of Leeds to collaborate on engineering biology and artificial cell technologies. During his secondment, he worked with Leeds researchers to develop and assess hybrid artificial cell systems, focusing on improving their preparation, stability and biological functionality. The visit facilitated valuable knowledge exchange between UK and Japanese teams, strengthened the partnership between Leeds and JAMSTEC, and supported ACROPATH's long-term goal of creating artificial cells that can sense and respond to environmental changes.

Dr Sato also engaged with the wider research community through seminars, collaborative discussions and public engagement activities, including the University of Leeds' annual Be Curious festival.

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.

Members of the ACROPATH team recently presented their research to the Fighting Infections Group as part of the project's Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) activities.

The group brings together individuals with a wide range of expertise and experiences relating to infectious diseases and clinical diagnostics. During the session, Calum MacRae, Kerrie Davies and Paul Beales introduced the ACROPATH project and gathered valuable feedback on diagnostic testing and the team's ongoing research.

This engagement will help inform the long-term development of the project and support consideration of its future clinical applications. The ACROPATH team looks forward to continuing its discussions with the Fighting Infections Group and sharing future project developments.

Members of the ACROPATH team recently took part in the University of Leeds’ Be Curious event, a family-friendly day showcasing research through interactive activities.

Members of the ACROPATH team have recently taken part in conferences across the UK, presenting their work and engaging with the wider research community. These events provided valuable opportunities for discussion and collaboration, helping position ACROPATH at the forefront of advances in artificial cell technologies.

On 26-27 March, ACROPATH researchers Paul Beales, Shivendra Singh and Calum MacRae attended the Designer Membranes and Bio‑Inspired Interfaces meeting at Wolfson College, Cambridge. Paul delivered an invited talk on engineering durable hybrid membrane interfaces for biotechnology and artificial cell applications. The meeting offered valuable opportunities to engage with the wider research community and sparked new ideas to support the advancing development of the ACROPATH biosensors.

Lawrence has recently returned from a secondment at the Kuruma Lab, JAMSTEC, where he contributed to ACROPATH’s work on artificial cells for rapid bacterial diagnostics.

During his visit he also attended the Cell‑Free Conference in Matsuyama, connecting with researchers advancing bottom‑up biology from around the world.

The exchange strengthened scientific links between the UK and Japan and will continue to shape ACROPATH research going forward.

Lawrence recently began his secondment at JAMSTEC in Yokohama, advancing his peptide development work alongside the cell‑free and artificial‑cell research led by Shivendra and Yusei. Shivendra has now completed his own successful secondment, contributing new membrane–microfluidic integration methods.
During their handover, the team toured the JAMSTEC research vessel MIRAI – a rare chance to see onboard laboratory facilities designed for challenging environments such as the Arctic Circle. A big thank you to Yutetsu and Yusei for arranging the visit.
These exchanges continue to strengthen ACROPATH collaboration and drive forward our shared scientific goals.

The project held its annual meeting at RIKEN, Kobe from 21-23 January. It was good to bring our team together and to see the energy that comes from face‑to‑face scientific exchange.
Over the three days, there were many productive discussions on ongoing research activities, and we refined our plans for the next phase of the project. It was also a valuable opportunity to explore future collaborations and to coordinate upcoming secondments that will strengthen knowledge exchange across our consortium.
A huge thank you to our hosts in Kobe and to all participants for their engagement and contributions.