Opening up new horizons
Portrait of Athene Young Investigator Dr Andrea Belluati
2024/07/10 by Astrid Ludwig
The research team headed by Dr. Andrea Belluati has made a breakthrough in the synthesis of artificial cells. The biotechnologist at TU Darmstadt was involved in research to create artificial cells that resemble real ones. This success could have a lasting impact on the health care sector. Belluati carries out his research at the Centre for Synthetic Biology at TU Darmstadt and has now been selected as a new Athene Young Investigator.
His research could change a lot of things. “There is huge potential for this research in the field of medicine”, says the young scientist from Turin with some confidence. People with leukaemia or an immune defect may not need to wait an eternity for the right stem cell donation in future? It may also open up a new form of cancer therapy in which deadly cells are rendered harmless? The research being carried out by , who is the head of a research group at the Dr. Andrea Belluati at TU Darmstadt, will certainly open up new horizons. “We have managed to develop cells that not only imitate biological cells structurally but also functionally”, he emphasises. Centre for Synthetic Biology
Belluati’s research has focussed for many years on the interplay between polymers (chemical compounds consisting of long molecular chains) and cells. His aim is to develop synthetic materials that behave similarly to real cells and appears to have successfully achieved this goal in a he headed together with TU Professor Nico Bruns and researchers at the University of Fribourg. He explains that artificial cells are microscopic structures that imitate the characteristics of living cells. They are important tools that are used, for example, as microreactors to improve chemical processes in molecular system engineering or as host cells in synthetic biology. Belluati and his international team have managed to encapsulate the liquid content of bacteria cells within artificial cells that are able to produce various proteins within them – just like living cells. new international study
Imitating nature
The Athene Young Investigator has developed some innovative ideas: “Synthetic nanostructures could be merged with living organisms to create semi-synthetic organisms. This could help to advance the field of bioorganic chemistry and ideally lead to the creation of things such as artificial tissue.”
Andrea Belluati is certain that his research in the field of synthetic nanostructures and beings will expand the boundaries of material sciences and also help in the development of solutions to social challenges and sustainable innovations in the health care sector. “This will allow us to imitate nature, develop better cells and give them new functions and modes of actions.” He hopes that his research will be picked up in the next five years by industry for use in applications in the medical and medical technology sectors and prove beneficial in these areas.
Inspiring students
Andrea Belluati completed his master’s degree in industrial biotechnology in 2015 at the University of Turin. His wrote his master’s thesis in cooperation with the “Institut National des Sciences Appliquées” in Toulouse, France, and received his doctorate at the University of Bassel. He then spent half a year as a postdoc in Prague, before moving over to the research team headed by Prof. Nico Bruns at the University of Glasgow in 2021. Belluati, who was born in Biella, worked there for seven month before the entire team moved to TU Darmstadt from Scotland. It was a switch that he has never regretted. “Research in Germany is flexible and at a very high level. I receive a lot of support here and have found very capable colleagues”, he says.
He is very grateful for the funding as an Athene Young Investigator: “I can now teach and build my own team.” He wants to explain his research to students, inspire them and raise awareness for this field of study. It is important to him to raise his profile within the scientific community and present his own research.
“I want to introduce my own ideas”, he emphasises. He believes that his selection as an Athene Young Investigator increases his worth and competitiveness. And it will bring him nearer to achieving his career goal because the young researcher already has a very clear vision. The 33-year-old researcher wants to become a professor or the head of a group at an important institution such as the Max Planck Institute or Leibniz Institute.
The Athene Young Investigator Programme
The at TU Darmstadt supports exceptional researchers on their career path for a period of five years. The aim is to promote the scientific independence of early career researchers and give them the opportunity to qualify for the post of university professor by leading an independent junior research group. The heads of these junior research groups are given certain professorial rights and their own budget. Athene Young Investigator (AYI) Programme
In 2024, the TU Darmstadt has awarded another three excellent young researchers as “Athene Young Investigators”. In the coming weeks, we will introduce the three researchers on the TU Darmstadt website.