https://pages.htgaa.org/2026a/jenn-leung/homework/week-09-hw-cell-free-systems/index.htmlWeek 9: Cell-Free Systems Homework — DUE BY START OF Apr 7 LECTURE Homework Part A: General and Lecturer-Specific Questions General homework questions 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 systems help us understand biology ‘from scratch’ to bioengineer from smaller units. There’s wider flexibility for scaffolding biology from the ground-up and controlling the environments in a complete model. Existing living cells as we know it are already incredibly complex and hence less controlled in experimental settings. Synthetic cell engineering allows flexibility in size of the cell, proteins, and even expanding largely on the chemistry of the cell. So the two scenarios could be if you want to control the size of the cell and want uniform control it might be ideal to use cell-free system. The other scenario might be to engineer a specific chemical environment or want chemical diversity in the experiment that is not naturally common/ compatible with cells. Compared to in-vivo expression where you have to create plasmids, cell-free protein expressions are faster and cheaper to construct and can also help you through quick iterations with linear fragments and without plasmids.Hugoen