The ability to exploit a cell's contents and capabilities unimpeded by cell walls opens new opportunities for the field of biochemical engineering. Cell-free biology could become the basis for making products from hydrogen to cancer vaccines and more. Many of us take the wonders of biology for granted, at least until we get sick or experience the birth of a child. And while it may be easy to believe that biology involves some sort of magic, the expanding knowledge base describing cellular physiology shows that the basis of life is a complex but rational set of chemical reactions and molecular interactions. It therefore seems reasonable that much of this complexity could be reproduced outside of the cell, and that direct access to this reaction environment would provide greater freedom to engineer complex biological processes for the benefit of society.
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