Sijbren Otto is awarded a Vici grant

Towards Darwinian evolution with fully synthetic molecules.
Biological systems exist by virtue of continuous processes of synthesis and degradation. At essentially all levels of biology there is a dynamic balance between formation and decay; between life and death. Ironically, without decay and death there would be no biology. The VICI grant was awarded to learn how to operate synthetic chemical systems in the same continuous synthesis/degradation regime as is commonplace in biology. Mastering these principles and applying these to molecular networks of self-replicating molecules should then enable the development of fully synthetic systems capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution. Such systems would pave the way to the development of de-novo life.