https://pages.htgaa.org/2026a/asaf-balaga/homework/week-06/index.htmlCell-Free Systems Homework 1. Explain the main advantages of cell-free protein synthesis over traditional in vivo methods, specifically in terms of flexibility and control over experimental variables. Name at least two cases where cell-free expression is more beneficial than cell production. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) offers major advantages over traditional in vivo expression because it removes the constraints imposed by maintaining living cells. Since the reaction occurs in vitro, the experimenter has much tighter control over variables such as DNA concentration, energy source, salts, cofactors, reaction timing, and additives. This makes CFPS especially useful for rapid prototyping, because gene circuits or expression constructs can be tested directly without cloning into cells and waiting for growth. It is also easier to study toxic proteins or unstable pathways in CFPS, since there is no living host whose growth is harmed by the product. In addition, freeze-dried cell-free systems are portable, low-maintenance, and can be deployed with minimal equipment, making them well suited for low-resource settings and space applications. This was demonstrated in the BioBits study aboard the ISS, where freeze-dried cell-free reactions were rehydrated and used to express aptamers and fluorescent proteins under microgravity conditions.Hugoen