Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a 36-gene artificial entity named SpudCell that self-assembles to form cell-like bubbles and produce proteins.
The breakthrough was reported by New Scientist on July 2, 2026, and represents a significant advancement in synthetic biology, which aims to construct living organisms from non-living components.
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SpudCell relies on a minimal structure of just 36 genes. When supplied with necessary biological building blocks, it began generating proteins and forming cellular structures.
However, the entity is not fully alive.
It requires an external supply of ribosomes to function, cannot metabolize food, generate its own energy, or divide and reproduce independently.
"SpudCell represents a significant breakthrough in the creation of artificial life," said New Scientist.
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The project follows previous synthetic biology milestones, including a 2010 experiment at the J.
Craig Venter Institute in California, where scientists inserted a synthetic 473-gene bacterial genome into an emptied cell chassis.
While that 2010 organism could grow and reproduce, researchers did not fully understand the functions of a third of its genes, prompting the University of Missouri initiative to build an organism entirely from scratch.
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The ultimate goal for synthetic cells includes understanding the origins of life and developing alternative methods to manufacture materials currently derived from fossil fuels, such as plastics, fertilizers, and fuels.
