“Let the target dictate your end goal by defining the desired properties and constraints. So rather than trying to shove a million different keys into a lock to see what works, now you’re molding a million keys designed for that lock to see which ones have the properties you want. You get a lot more hits and it increases exponentially as you keep iterating and seeing what properties you need. Ultimately that means you get to your lead molecule a lot sooner because all of the output is designed for that target.”

“For over a decade, scientists have made extraordinary progress on the long-held dream of fabricating an entire cell from nonliving molecules and materials. Such synthetic (or "engineered") cells would behave similarly to the ones in our bodies, though they would also have built-in safeguards that ensure safety and ethics. By studying them, we could transform our understanding of the rules of life. They could also be used to manipulate living organisms and achieve astounding breakthroughs in medicine and science.” (Phys.org)