It seems like artificial metabolic pathways research needs to be an area where boundaries are pushed. It would be fairly useful because it would generalize energy research as well.
> start by reducing the number of genes
Top down is status quo synth-bio. But, I found it interesting that the new mRNA vaccines used the lipid nanoparticle delivery mechanisms. It seems to be a sort of an early success for bottom-up synth-bio.
> Central Dogma for a very good reason.
Which is why there are two approaches to "life". 1. what is for all practical purposes, further variations on existing biology 2. a much more profound and general definition of what "life" even is, and the ability to generate lifeforms (whatever that may mean) from just about anything - which may or may not require anything analogous to the central dogma.