A framework for building a synthetic cell from the SynCell Asia Initiative

Zhuojun Dai; Wataru Aoki; Pimchai Chaiyen; Matthew Wook Chang; Xixian Chen; Zibo Chen; Byung Kwan Cho; Nan Nan Deng; Shishen Du; Jee Loon Foo; Julius Fredens; Meifang Fu; Xiaojun Han; Tomohisa Hasunuma; Norikazu Ichihashi; Nurulfiza Mat Isa; Daisuke Kiga; Dong Myung Kim; Jongmin Kim; Akihiko Kondo; Yuishin Kosaka; Kobkul Laoteng; Joongoo Lee; Jian Li; Junbai Li; Ming Li; Sierin Lim; Jianbo Liu; Xingguo Liu; Yuan Lu; Nan Luo; Tomoaki Matsuura; Wataru Mizunashi; Yan Qiao; Ahmad Bazli Ramzi; Sang Woo Seo; Yoshihiro Shimizu; Kwanwoo Shin; Liangfei Tian; Wanwipa Vongsangnak; Baojun Wang; Cheng Cai Zhang; Xian En Zhang; Guoping Zhao; Bo Zheng; Yaoqi Zhou; Chenli Liu

doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w

A framework for building a synthetic cell from the SynCell Asia Initiative

Zhuojun Dai
, Wataru Aoki
, Pimchai Chaiyen
, Matthew Wook Chang
, Xixian Chen
, Zibo Chen
, Byung Kwan Cho
, Nan Nan Deng
, Shishen Du
, Jee Loon Foo
, Julius Fredens
, Meifang Fu
, Xiaojun Han
, Tomohisa Hasunuma
, Norikazu Ichihashi
, Nurulfiza Mat Isa
, Daisuke Kiga
, Dong Myung Kim
, Jongmin Kim
, Akihiko Kondo

Yuishin Kosaka, Kobkul Laoteng, Joongoo Lee, Jian Li, Junbai Li, Ming Li, Sierin Lim, Jianbo Liu, Xingguo Liu, Yuan Lu, Nan Luo, Tomoaki Matsuura, Wataru Mizunashi, Yan Qiao, Ahmad Bazli Ramzi, Sang Woo Seo, Yoshihiro Shimizu, Kwanwoo Shin, Liangfei Tian, Wanwipa Vongsangnak, Baojun Wang, Cheng Cai Zhang, Xian En Zhang, Guoping Zhao, Bo Zheng, Yaoqi Zhou, Chenli Liu^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology
The University of Osaka
Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology
National University of Singapore
Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
Westlake University
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Wuhan University
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology
Kobe University
The University of Tokyo
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Waseda University
Chungnam National University
Pohang University of Science and Technology
National Science and Technology Development Agency Thailand
ShanghaiTech University
CAS - Institute of Chemistry
CAS - Institute of Physics
Nanyang Technological University
Hunan University
CAS - Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health
Tsinghua University
Institute of Science Tokyo
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Seoul National University
RIKEN
Sogang University
Zhejiang University
Kasetsart University
CAS - Institute of Hydrobiology
Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology
Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University
Shenzhen Bay Laboratory

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Building a living cell from scratch requires overcoming a bottleneck that has remained unresolved despite decades of progress: orchestrating the spatiotemporal integration of core functional modules. To tackle this barrier, the SynCell Asia Initiative outlines a strategy for developing core functional modules followed by their systems-level integration through the establishment of a centralized, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biofoundry.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1084-1088
Number of pages	5
Journal	Nature Biotechnology
Volume	44
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w
State	Published - Jul 2026
Externally published	Yes

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10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w

Cite this

Dai, Z., Aoki, W., Chaiyen, P., Chang, M. W., Chen, X., Chen, Z., Cho, B. K., Deng, N. N., Du, S., Foo, J. L., Fredens, J., Fu, M., Han, X., Hasunuma, T., Ichihashi, N., Isa, N. M., Kiga, D., Kim, D. M., Kim, J., ... Liu, C. (2026). A framework for building a synthetic cell from the SynCell Asia Initiative. Nature Biotechnology, 44(7), 1084-1088. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w

@article{ead278dcc32c4f0d984d4f7d1753d324,

title = "A framework for building a synthetic cell from the SynCell Asia Initiative",

abstract = "Building a living cell from scratch requires overcoming a bottleneck that has remained unresolved despite decades of progress: orchestrating the spatiotemporal integration of core functional modules. To tackle this barrier, the SynCell Asia Initiative outlines a strategy for developing core functional modules followed by their systems-level integration through the establishment of a centralized, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biofoundry.",

author = "Zhuojun Dai and Wataru Aoki and Pimchai Chaiyen and Chang, \{Matthew Wook\} and Xixian Chen and Zibo Chen and Cho, \{Byung Kwan\} and Deng, \{Nan Nan\} and Shishen Du and Foo, \{Jee Loon\} and Julius Fredens and Meifang Fu and Xiaojun Han and Tomohisa Hasunuma and Norikazu Ichihashi and Isa, \{Nurulfiza Mat\} and Daisuke Kiga and Kim, \{Dong Myung\} and Jongmin Kim and Akihiko Kondo and Yuishin Kosaka and Kobkul Laoteng and Joongoo Lee and Jian Li and Junbai Li and Ming Li and Sierin Lim and Jianbo Liu and Xingguo Liu and Yuan Lu and Nan Luo and Tomoaki Matsuura and Wataru Mizunashi and Yan Qiao and Ramzi, \{Ahmad Bazli\} and Seo, \{Sang Woo\} and Yoshihiro Shimizu and Kwanwoo Shin and Liangfei Tian and Wanwipa Vongsangnak and Baojun Wang and Zhang, \{Cheng Cai\} and Zhang, \{Xian En\} and Guoping Zhao and Bo Zheng and Yaoqi Zhou and Chenli Liu",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Springer Nature America, Inc. 2026.",

year = "2026",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w",

language = "英语",

volume = "44",

pages = "1084--1088",

journal = "Nature Biotechnology",

issn = "1087-0156",

publisher = "Nature Research",

number = "7",

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Dai, Z, Aoki, W, Chaiyen, P, Chang, MW, Chen, X, Chen, Z, Cho, BK, Deng, NN, Du, S, Foo, JL, Fredens, J, Fu, M, Han, X, Hasunuma, T, Ichihashi, N, Isa, NM, Kiga, D, Kim, DM, Kim, J, Kondo, A, Kosaka, Y, Laoteng, K, Lee, J, Li, J, Li, J, Li, M, Lim, S, Liu, J, Liu, X, Lu, Y, Luo, N, Matsuura, T, Mizunashi, W, Qiao, Y, Ramzi, AB, Seo, SW, Shimizu, Y, Shin, K, Tian, L, Vongsangnak, W, Wang, B, Zhang, CC, Zhang, XE, Zhao, G, Zheng, B, Zhou, Y & Liu, C 2026, 'A framework for building a synthetic cell from the SynCell Asia Initiative', Nature Biotechnology, vol. 44, no. 7, pp. 1084-1088. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w

TY - JOUR

T1 - A framework for building a synthetic cell from the SynCell Asia Initiative

AU - Dai, Zhuojun

AU - Aoki, Wataru

AU - Chaiyen, Pimchai

AU - Chang, Matthew Wook

AU - Chen, Xixian

AU - Chen, Zibo

AU - Cho, Byung Kwan

AU - Deng, Nan Nan

AU - Du, Shishen

AU - Foo, Jee Loon

AU - Fredens, Julius

AU - Fu, Meifang

AU - Han, Xiaojun

AU - Hasunuma, Tomohisa

AU - Ichihashi, Norikazu

AU - Isa, Nurulfiza Mat

AU - Kiga, Daisuke

AU - Kim, Dong Myung

AU - Kim, Jongmin

AU - Kondo, Akihiko

AU - Kosaka, Yuishin

AU - Laoteng, Kobkul

AU - Lee, Joongoo

AU - Li, Jian

AU - Li, Junbai

AU - Li, Ming

AU - Lim, Sierin

AU - Liu, Jianbo

AU - Liu, Xingguo

AU - Lu, Yuan

AU - Luo, Nan

AU - Matsuura, Tomoaki

AU - Mizunashi, Wataru

AU - Qiao, Yan

AU - Ramzi, Ahmad Bazli

AU - Seo, Sang Woo

AU - Shimizu, Yoshihiro

AU - Shin, Kwanwoo

AU - Tian, Liangfei

AU - Vongsangnak, Wanwipa

AU - Wang, Baojun

AU - Zhang, Cheng Cai

AU - Zhang, Xian En

AU - Zhao, Guoping

AU - Zheng, Bo

AU - Zhou, Yaoqi

AU - Liu, Chenli

PY - 2026/7

Y1 - 2026/7

N2 - Building a living cell from scratch requires overcoming a bottleneck that has remained unresolved despite decades of progress: orchestrating the spatiotemporal integration of core functional modules. To tackle this barrier, the SynCell Asia Initiative outlines a strategy for developing core functional modules followed by their systems-level integration through the establishment of a centralized, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biofoundry.

AB - Building a living cell from scratch requires overcoming a bottleneck that has remained unresolved despite decades of progress: orchestrating the spatiotemporal integration of core functional modules. To tackle this barrier, the SynCell Asia Initiative outlines a strategy for developing core functional modules followed by their systems-level integration through the establishment of a centralized, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biofoundry.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105040344272

U2 - 10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w

DO - 10.1038/s41587-026-03153-w

M3 - 评论/辩论

AN - SCOPUS:105040344272

SN - 1087-0156

VL - 44

SP - 1084

EP - 1088

JO - Nature Biotechnology

JF - Nature Biotechnology

IS - 7

ER -

A framework for building a synthetic cell from the SynCell Asia Initiative

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