Application of cell-free technologies: what lies ahead?

From bacterial to mammalian, living cells are filled with the most advanced and complex molecular machines and find broad utility in synthetic biology and drug development such as library construction, screening and manufacturing, to name a few. However, the requirement for having to maintain homeostasis and countless regulatory mechanisms in these living cells enforces a slew of constraints which hinder the full range and potential of these naturally evolved molecular machines and processes. Over the last several decades, huge advances have been made in reconstituting a variety of these complex processes into cell-free in vitro systems. Come learn how these cell-free technologies are making an impact on synthetic biology and drug development and discuss what challenges and opportunities await.