Cell-free Biotechnology: Going Beyond the Cell
Channel: Science Showcase
Date: 2017-08-22

Scientists have used biology to create technology for thousands of years have become really good at it. However, sometimes it feels like the promise of bio-based fuels, materials, and medicines have fallen flat. 

My research is re-imagining how we tinker with biology, how we might "think outside the cell"! Breaking open bacteria and using their parts to do chemistry allows us to design, build, and test  biotechnologies in a fraction of the time it would take in living bacteria. Now we can imagine a world where all of our material items were made from biology! 

Created by Ashty Karim, Northwestern University

Qualifying video for the 2017 Science Showcase Video Contest. More information at https://riskinnovation.asu.edu/scienceshowcase2017/