‘World’s first’ synthetic cell can eat, grow and replicate, scientists claim
Lab-grown red blood cells transfused into a person for first time
Scientists have created the world’s first synthetic cell, named SpudCell, which exhibits a complete life cycle entirely from non-living chemical components.
Developed by teams at the University of Minnesota, SpudCell can feed, grow, and replicate, performing functions such as genome replication, growth, and genetically-encoded division.
The synthetic cell overcomes a previous hurdle in research by using proteins to induce division, rather than relying on an internal cytoskeleton.
Researchers successfully introduced a genetic modification to SpudCell, leading to faster growth and increased offspring production.
This breakthrough is seen as a foundational step towards engineering more complex cellular functions and could enable new molecular transformations beyond current industrial capabilities.
