This is a $170,000 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to the Regents of the University of Minnesota, Office Sponsored Projects Administration. The grant supports collaborative research by the Ellington and Adamala labs to engineer synthetic cells with expanded genetic alphabets and genetic codes.
The key objectives are to: 1) Investigate incorporating non-canonical nucleotides into translation, 2) Incorporate non-canonical amino acids via non-canonical genetic alphabets, and 3) Use artificial evolution to optimize translation systems with non-canonical nucleotides and amino acids. This work aims to transcend evolutionary constraints and create life-like systems with expanded chemistries beyond the standard DNA/RNA/amino acid framework. The 3-year project period runs from Sep 1, 2024 to Aug 31, 2027.