Microfluidics and chemistry: DarChemDN
The project aims to study Darwinian Chemistry by creating synthetic chemical systems that can reproduce and undergo open-ended Darwinian evolution.
Microfluidics and chemistry: introduction
What can be obtained by joining the disciplines of microfluidics and chemistry? The answer is a new entire field: evolutionary chemistry.
The sheer abundance and diversity of living organisms on Earth demonstrate the success of Darwinian evolution.
Through repeated random selection of the best traits for survival, life has evolved with increasing complexity and efficiency.
Darwinian evolution can be seen as a self-replicating process resembling a robust algorithm capable of selecting and enhancing any system that provides competitive advantages over similar traits.
Humans have learned methods to guide evolution for various practical purposes, such as breeding animals (livestock, companion animals) and plants (crops).
On a smaller scale, evolutionary principles have been applied to computing systems and synthesizing proteins and nucleic acids, providing biomedical applications with advantageous outcomes.
Now, scientists are venturing into the realm of creating Darwinian chemistry with self-replicating synthetic molecules by joining microfluidics and chemistry.
This brand-new Darwinian chemistry, which does not involve genetic material, could potentially shed light on the transition from inorganic to organic matter linked with the origin of life.
Compartmentalized self-replication of inorganic molecules: project description
The DarChemDN project aims to create innovative synthetic chemical systems capable of reproduction and open-ended Darwinian evolution. In other words, it seeks to establish groundbreaking Darwinian chemistry that was previously only theoretical but is now realized by bridging microfluidics and chemistry alongside other disciplines.
The DarChemDN program is a European MSCA doctoral network that will train ten postgraduate candidates to become pioneers of the emerging discipline of evolutionary chemistry. The program will foster collaborative research across multiple international research centers, working towards several ambitious objectives.
Among these, microfluidics and chemistry will come together by developing viable autocatalytic systems, incorporating these systems into confined compartments, adding metabolic processes, and achieving system evolvability.
The ten candidates will focus on the project’s distinct yet interconnected aspects, collaborating with academic and industrial institutions. DarChemDN is expected to have a profound impact on applied chemistry and materials science, spanning areas such as catalysis, sensing, and signaling. It will enable the optimization of functions through evolutionary processes.
DarChemDN: our role
We will contribute to the advancement of Darwinian chemistry by focusing on the development of compartmentalized autocatalytic systems by effectively linking microfluidics and chemistry.
This aspect is crucial for protecting against parasites and promoting cooperation within replicator communities. The doctoral candidate, under the supervision of Dr. McMillan, will be responsible for developing a high-precision flow control system for droplet generation.
The specific objective will be to design a fluidic control system capable of achieving low flow rates and high-throughput droplet generation. Autocatalytic form reactions will incorporate the newly developed flow control systems by the MIC, bringing together microfluidics and chemistry in natural experimental settings.
Overall, developing these new tools for microfluidic control will contribute to establishing the emerging field of Darwinian chemistry.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 101119956 (DarChemDN).
Topic: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN 01-01
Start date: 01 November 2023
End date: 31 October 2027
EU contribution: € 2,721,304.79
