To mark the occasion of Nature Chemistry turning 10 years old, the journal asked scientists working in different areas of chemistry to discusses what they thought the most exciting, interesting or challenging aspects related to the development of their main field of research will be.
CBE's Dr Annette Taylor added:
"Reactions taking place in cells still provide the most effective means of producing complex chemicals, and advances in systems and synthetic biology have resulted in remarkable control over these cellular processes. An alternative approach, inspired by the goal of creating artificial life, involves the compartmentalization of networks of interacting chemicals. There is a long way to go in systems chemistry before we can control these mixtures with the same degree of robustness as biology, nevertheless, in the future there may be a shift from microbial to synthetic cell factories as we become increasingly adept in designing bioinspired reaction networks."