In fact, the issue is very simple: “Things around us, like plants, animals and people, are alive,” explains Cees Dekker to Editie NL, a professor of biophysics at TU Delft and one of the researchers. Things, like microscopes for example, are not alive. . What is the difference? To check this, we look at the smallest unit in living cells.
“We find it interesting to think about questions like: How does a living cell, like the cells in your body, work?” He continues: “We can of course use microscopes to find out how everything works, but many questions remain unanswered because they are so complex.
Alzheimer’s and cancer
Ultimately, the goal of the project is to understand the principles of building living cells by observing molecules. This could, for example, help in the future to determine the cause of diseases. “Many diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer begin at the molecular level,” says the professor. “This is the level at which the DNA or protein interacts in the cells.”
“One molecule is not alive,” Decker continues. “One DNA molecule is just a molecule. One protein is also just a molecule. But together those molecules have interactions, and they do something together. And during that interaction things sometimes go wrong.” Proteins build incorrectly. Or the chromosomes separate incorrectly and this eventually causes diseases. If you know more about the molecular cause of diseases, you can think about treatment methods and the like.
The simplest cell
The plan is for the researchers to try to build the “simplest cell” from the bottom up. “Even the simplest cell is made up of hundreds of types of molecules,” Decker explains. “That is why we take one molecule, i.e. one ‘vesicle’, and add molecules one by one until we reach the ‘minimum’ to build a living system.”
It’s an exceptionally large project and had to wait a long time to get the green light. “Twenty years ago we were also ridiculed, but ten years ago we took the first steps,” Decker says. “We have built the first module and will use artificial intelligence and directed evolution (editing protein technology) to do this.”
30 professors
At least 40 million euros have been provided for the project. “It’s a huge amount, but you have to realize that there is a consortium of 30 professors from all over the Netherlands who will do this together for 10 years,” Dekker continues. “It can only be done with an injection of this quantity because one person in one laboratory could never do it.”
For this reason a mix of scholars was brought together. “We have engaged ethicists and philosophers to discuss debates in society, safety and ethical issues.”
Frankenstein
The latter is not unimportant, because there are criticisms as well. For example, the comparison is made with frankenstein, The fictional main character in the book of the same name who wants to “build” the body himself and bring it back to life. “I hear this comparison often and I’m hesitant about it,” Decker says. But according to the professor, the situations are different from each other. “What we are doing is exploring the possibilities inherent in nature.”
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