Engineering multicomponent synthetic organelles using digital microfluidics

Living cells organise biochemical reactions through specialised internal compartments called organelles. This PhD project will engineer synthetic organelles to enhance the capabilities of future generations of gene-expressing synthetic cells. These engineered organelles will generate chemically distinct microenvironments with tuneable properties, offering new levels of control over synthetic cell behaviour. The project will design and build multicomponent, internally structured membraneless organelles made from mixtures of disordered proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules. This approach will expand the range of biochemically distinct environments inside synthetic cells and the range of reactions that can be performed inside them. Digital microfluidics will provide the necessary precision in assembling and manipulating these organelles, enabling control not achievable with existing methods. Combining microfluidics and organelle design, the project will advance synthetic cells as platforms for biosensing, metabolic engineering, and targeted drug delivery.