Artificial Cells: An Overview of Main Approaches and Applications

It has been about 20 years since extended research on artificial cells kicked off around the world. Since then, many different developments on the preparation of artificial counterparts of cells and their machinery have been formulated by using a variety of strategies and building blocks. Cells are not of simple nature, and their study is not straightforward either, as research on artificial cells concentrates on separately deciphering the cell’s numerous components one by one, rather than the entire lot at once. Furthermore, this research can be conducted by either altering and examining natural organisms and their parts or by attempting to recreate them from scratch. The central aim of this Matura paper is to provide comprehensive descriptions and summaries of the most efficient and commonly utilized methods for the creation of artificial cell-like structures that are used to recreate and study life on the cellular level. A few real-world applications of artificial cells that are currently relevant will also be considered.