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Abstract:
The bottom-up approach in synthetic biology involves the engineering of synthetic cells by designing
biological and chemical building blocks, which can be combined in order to mimic cellular
functions. The first step for mimicking a living cell is the design of an appropriate compartment
featuring a multifunctional membrane. This is of particular interest since it allows for the selective
attachment of different groups or molecules to the membrane. In this context, we report on a
modular approach for polymeric vesicles, so-called polymersomes, with a multifunctional surface,
namely hydroxyl, alkyne and acrylate groups. We demonstrate that the surface of the polymersome
can be functionalized to facilitate imaging, via dye molecules, or to improve the specific
adhesion to surfaces by using a biotin functionalization. This generally applicable multifunctionality
allows for the covalent integration of various molecules in the membrane of a synthetic cell.