Newcomers to synthetic cell building spend far longer than they ought to booting up fundamentals like encapsulating a cytosol within a liposome. Typically, a motivated but unassisted student requires at least a few months to become proficient in liposome encapsulation. This process usually involves synthesizing several different protocols scattered across the methods sections of papers and other obscure corners of the internet, identifying the right materials to purchase, and subtle handling notes that are rarely highlighted explicitly. Our goal with Nucleus is to reduce as much of this ambiguity as possible.
In June 2024, we wrapped the 
“Hello, world” PURE Liposomes protocol into the 
Liposome workshop module to deliver a two-day workshop that introduced six undergraduate students to the emerging discipline of synthetic cell engineering. These students had no previous hands-on experience with the PURE system or with liposome assembly but were able to make and characterize functional protein-expressing synthetic cells with a 100% success rate.
We are sharing the materials that we used to organize and run this workshop with the community in the hopes that it can lower the barrier to get started with synthetic cell construction. The Liposome workshop module includes a schedule, a bill of materials, and two teaching decks to introduce the protocol alongside fundamental principles. If you find these materials useful or are interested in organizing your own workshop we would love to hear about it at build@bnext.bio.