Scientists have taken a significant step toward creating artificial life by engineering tiny synthetic cells that can feed, grow, and multiply in a laboratory dish.
These cells, named SpudCells, are made from chemical compounds and are the first to demonstrate a complete cell cycle including growth, genetic replication, and division, according to a report in The Guardian.
The breakthrough could eventually lead to the production of artificial organisms designed to manufacture medicines, food, fuels, and other essential materials.
How SpudCells Work
Dr. Kate Adamala, who led the research at the University of Minnesota, explained that the synthetic structure serves as a proof of principle, even though it is not as fast or robust as a natural cell.
“It is not as robust, as fast, or as good at most of its functions as a natural cell, but it is proof of principle that molecules can reconstitute behaviours that up until now we only associated with natural living cells,” Adamala said.
Unlike previous efforts that modified existing bacteria, Adamala’s team built the cells from the bottom up, starting with water-filled liposomes measuring a few thousandths of a millimeter wide.
They added synthetic DNA to establish basic functions and named the cells SpudCells as a nod to both Sputnik and Adamala’s Polish heritage.
SpudCells operate exclusively within a liquid packed with vital chemicals like ATP, the primary energy-carrying molecule.
To grow, they fuse with tiny feeder liposomes containing molecules, enzymes, and ribosomes needed to synthesize proteins, guided by genetic instructions to copy genomes and divide.
Prof. Tom Ellis from Imperial College London described the development as perhaps the biggest recent breakthrough in the field, noting its utility in testing biological circuits and computer models of cellular life.
“Making a synthetic cell helps us understand the exact minimum requirements for life and how life might have emerged from chemistry,” Ellis said.
Despite behaving like living cells, SpudCells are not considered alive.
They face severe operational limits, such as an inability to clear waste, control metabolism, or build their own protein-making machinery.
The cells often distribute incorrect amounts of DNA during division and cease functioning after a few generations.
Adamala and other experts have launched an institution called Biotic to further refine the technology.
Prof. Drew Endy, a bioengineer at Stanford University and co-founder of Biotic, stated the ultimate goal is to establish an operating system for life built from genes and biochemistry.
However, Prof. John Dupré, a philosopher from the University of Exeter, questioned whether such synthetic cells would ever outperform modified bacterial cells in manufacturing fuels or drugs.
“What is missing, I think, is the relational aspect of life which has become clear in the growing realisation that life is almost universally symbiotic,” Dupré noted.
