Spatiotemporal control over transport and signalling

The project consists in developing a photoswitchable pore-forming protein, termed opto-pore. This system enables photo-regulated and reversible membrane transport with precise spatiotemporal control over pore-forming activity. Triggered by blue light, it is expected to induce localized pore formation in the lipid membranes of synthetic compartments, thereby enabling communication between the internal and external environments of a synthetic cell. Similar strategies may be extended to intercellular communication and hybrid systems, where synthetic and living cells exchange signals.