Design of artificial organelles and cells

We are interested in the problem of creating artificial cells from minimal components that can sustain life, using biomimetic polymeric approaches. By combining our expertise in polymer chemistry, protein engineering, self-assembly and soft matter, we will reproduce the fundamental structures necessary for life, such as organelles and the compartmentalized structure of cells, in order to understand the fundamental processes leading to the spatiotemporal organization of matter and reactivity in confined environments. Our goal is the long-term assembly of a "living synthetic cell" capable of autonomously correcting a biological disturbance in a living system.

For that, we especially work on:
-    the design and self-assembly of the elementary and biomimetic building blocks, such amphiphilic block copolymers, polypeptide, polysaccharides, lipids and their combination
-    the design of compartmentalized vesicles using different formulation process (from electroformation, emulsion-centrifugation to microfluidic) and components
-    the control and understanding of physical properties (permeability, elasticity) of model membranes from polymersomes, liposomes and hybrid systems using confocal microscopy and micropipette methods
-    the design and study of complex coacervates that mimic membraneless organelles