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The goal of synthetic biology is to construct cell-like systems with minimal complexity to understand the fundamental features and structures of biology, e.g. the origin of life, and for potential application in biotechnology. This study combines bottom-up approach, liposome technology and biomolecular systems to figure out how primitive cells originated from the matter. The results suggest that there is a spontaneous pathway for concentrating solute molecules in the vesicle water pool. The lipid membrane is not any longer only a physical protection, but it plays an active role recruiting molecules inside its lumen.

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Dr. Erica D´Aguanno studies the origin of life since 2008, when she joined the Professor Pier Luigi Luisi´s group in the university of Roma Tre. Her published works deal with the design of minimal cell using a semi-synthetic approach. From 2011 to 2015 she worked in the group of Professor Alfred Fahr in Jena, where she obtained her PhD.

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