https://pages.htgaa.org/2026a/karol-duque/homework/week-09-hw-cell-free-systems/----title-week-7-genetic-circuits-part-ii---neuromorphic-circuits-weight-70-----part-1-intracellular-artificial-neural-networks-ianns_index/index.htmlPart A: General and Lecturer-Specific Questions 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. In a cell-free system, the reaction environment is fully open and directly accessible. The researcher can manipulate temperature, pH, ionic strength, redox potential, and cofactor concentrations in real time. This is not possible in a living cell without perturbing global physiology. The DNA template is added exogenously, meaning you can switch between constructs instantly without cloning into an expression vector, transforming cells, and growing overnight cultures. Toxic or unnatural amino acids can be incorporated freely because there is no selective pressure to keep the cell alive. Reaction volumes are scalable from a few microlitres to litres without the complexity of fermenter optimization.Hugoen