# Synthetic cells for phage therapy: a perspective

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how synthetic cells can improve phage therapy by enabling on-site phage production and smart antimicrobial materials.

## Contribution

The paper introduces synthetic cells as a novel platform for programmable and evolvable phage therapy solutions.

## Key findings

- Synthetic cells enable modular genome assembly and high-yield phage TXTL systems.
- Smart hydrogel encapsulation supports logic-responsive antimicrobial biomaterials.
- The proposed roadmap outlines translational clinical adoption of synthetic cells in phage therapy.

## Abstract

A synthetic cell is a membrane-bound vesicle that encapsulates cell-free transcription/translation (TXTL) systems. It represents a transformative platform for advancing bacteriophage therapy. Building on experimental work that demonstrates (i) modular genome assembly, (ii) high-yield phage TXTL systems, and (iii) smart hydrogel encapsulation, we explore how synthetic cells can address major limitations in phage therapy. The promising advances include point-of-care phage manufacturing, logic-responsive antimicrobial biomaterials, and new chassis to dissect the dynamics of phage-host interactions. We also propose a roadmap for the deployment of synthetic cells as programmable and evolvable tools in the context of laboratory research and translational clinical adoption.