Cells Unwrapped - exploring the power of cell-free systems

By Jack Armstrong, IBioIC MSc student

The headlines today are grim. The world lurches from one crisis to the next – from the supply chain problems caused by covid lockdowns, to extreme and destructive weather events, and the ongoing human and economic pain caused by the pandemic.

Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, optimistically declared that COP26 in Glasgow would be the “turning point for humanity” but we are showing little sign of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels – the recent queues at petrol stations speak volumes. We need some radical thinking. We need creative and sustainable solutions for the many problems facing our people and planet.

Biology is here to help. And the solution could be cell-free. 

I have spent the last year studying for a Masters in Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Strathclyde. Over the summer I spent 10 weeks exploring the rapidly-evolving arena of cell-free systems – a way of using cells unwrapped, harnessing the living machinery to manufacture a wide variety of products from medicines to commodity chemicals.

As research I spoke speaking to leading researchers in the field and interviewed ambitious entrepreneurs leading start-up companies creating new products in new ‘cell-free’ ways.

For example, Sutro Pharmaceuticals are making cancer busting drugs using vats of cellular components – a potentially cheaper and more reliable method than the traditional cell-based approach.

One group is looking at using this approach to make vaccines ‘on demand’ using a freeze-dried mix of vaccine-manufacturing components that can be stored easily and rehydrated closer to the patients.

Researchers at Northwestern University in the USA have developed a cell-free system that can make styrene (the basis of polystyrene) at high titres. They use a natural starting material, significantly less energy and ultimately produce less greenhouse gases than conventional petrochemical pathways.

There are still many hurdles to overcome for cell-free technology to become mainstream, but the opportunities are limitless. Cell-free biology can offer solutions to the climate emergency along with enabling the production of novel lifesaving healthcare products among many other developments that are yet to be discovered.

I have written a short article summarising my final dissertation. The project was completed by myself under guidance of IBioIC’s Director of Business Engagement, Liz Fletcher. The aim of the article is to provide an holistic overview of the current landscape of the cell-free biology industry and the opportunities that are available within industry and academic.