Artificial cellular device with cell-free protein synthesis ability constructed by chemical IC chips

The world's first "in-chip cell-free protein synthesis from DNA" in biochemical IC chips was demonstrated. A luminous protein of the firefly "Luciferase" was synthesized from DNA and monitored in real time. Compared with conventional protein synthesis process with a living cell, this in-chip method provides low-cost, high-throughput protein production. This micro chemical laboratory was constructed by prefabricated biochemical IC chips proposed and developed by the authors. Each chip was three dimensionally fabricated by using "hybrid micro stereolithography". In addition, advanced biochemical IC chips made it possible to improve both the productivity and the reliability of protein production. The results provide the powerful new method demanded by post-genome research to find the relationship between gene and protein. User assembled versatile biochemical IC chips provide reduced experimental throughput time and lower the cost of expensive biochemical reagent and apparatus for various kinds of protein synthesis. DNA originated cell-free protein synthesis is one of the biggest key technologies not only for life science but also medicine and drug discovery.