Aaron E. Engelhart

This paper demonstrates a prebiotic, nonenzymatic aminoacylation process that couples RNA and protein chirality, favoring opposite L- and D- configurations.

This paper develops a cell-free platform linking metabolic activity to protein synthesis under resource scarcity, demonstrating how metabolic control can influence gene expression in synthetic cells.

The paper describes a synthetic cell capable of growth, replication, and division using a 90kb genome encoding essential cellular functions.

This paper develops a method to purify post-transcriptionally modified tRNAs from E. coli, enhancing translation yields and fidelity in cell-free systems.

This paper introduces a one-pot cloning and protein expression platform that integrates mutagenesis, plasmid assembly, and functional testing in a single reaction, validated with multiple protein systems.

This paper presents a method for high-yield, low magnesium flexizyme reactions in a water-ice eutectic phase, improving product stability and reducing Mg(II) carryover.

This study identifies suitable tRNA sources for cell-free protein synthesis by evaluating tRNA pools from different E. coli strains and V. natriegens, finding that A19 tRNAs are most effective for in vitro translation.

This paper demonstrates a cost-effective method to monitor G-quadruplex folding transitions using single-dye labeled DNA sequences without quenchers, enabling faster and cheaper synthetic biology applications.

The paper demonstrates that perchlorate brines support RNA folding and catalysis while inhibiting protein enzymes, suggesting a unique niche for molecular evolution on Mars.

The paper identifies alternate conformational pathways in ribosome translocation by combining directed evolution and molecular dynamics simulations, revealing diverse kinetic and structural dynamics.

This study demonstrates the controlled exchange of protein and nucleic acid signals between synthetic minimal cells using cell penetrating peptides.

This study improves encapsulation efficiency in gentle hydration of lipid vesicles by sequential hydration, showing increased cargo encapsulation and fatty acid concentration.

The paper introduces a silencing oligo method to control gene expression in cell-free systems and synthetic cells through targeted mRNA binding and transfection.

The paper validates new Aequorea fluorescent proteins for use in cell-free expression systems.

This paper demonstrates a synthetic cell system that models host-parasite interactions, resistance to infection, and an inoculation system for immunity.

The paper introduces a modified T7 RNA polymerase promoter, T7Max, that enhances transcription and translation yields in cell-free systems by increasing transcript concentration.

This paper expands luciferase reporter systems for cell-free protein expression by introducing two orthogonal luciferases and a substrate regeneration pathway.

The paper introduces Akaby, a modified E. coli strain that improves protein expression from linear DNA templates in cell-free systems by reducing DNA degradation.

This paper demonstrates a DNA nanodevice that switches between catalytic and non-catalytic electron transfer states using a chaotropic ion.

This paper introduces Apta-NASBA, a method for highly specific, multiplexed pathogen detection using fluorescent aptamers, achieving a 1 pM detection limit and compatible with various detection platforms.

The paper demonstrates a method to engineer genetic circuits in synthetic minimal cells, enabling differentiation into new lineages through programmable mating or small molecule stimuli.