The lab-made \u2018SpudCell\u2019 has replicated several key functions of living organisms, researchers at the University of Minnesota say<\/p>\n
Scientists in the US have built a synthetic cell from non-living chemical components that can feed, grow, replicate its DNA, and divide, marking a major advance toward creating artificial life, according to researchers.
\nThe lab-made cell, dubbed SpudCell, is not considered alive but demonstrates several key behaviors associated with living organisms.
\nResearchers at the University of Minnesota unveiled their work on Wednesday. Kate Adamala, a synthetic biologist and professor at the university, called the synthetic cell \u201can incredibly wimpy organism\u201d that currently does little more than \u201ceat and occasionally make a daughter cell.\u201d
\nHowever, Adamala described the result as \u201cproof of principle,\u201d saying molecules can recreate behaviors previously linked only to natural living cells. The system is still weaker and slower than a natural cell, but could help scientists understand biology by building it from known parts, the scientist noted.<\/p>\n
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Adamala said she named the synthetic cell \u2018SpudCell\u2019 partly to avoid naming it after herself and as a reference to Sputnik, the Soviet satellite whose 1957 launch marked the start of the space age.
\nThe team built the cells from non-living chemical components rather than altering existing organisms. According to the project page, SpudCells contain 36 purified enzymes, a 90,000-base-pair genome spread across several DNA molecules, and a lipid membrane.
\nThe cells work inside a chemical-rich liquid. They grow by merging with tiny \u2018feeder liposomes\u2019, which supply nutrients, enzymes and ribosomes needed to make proteins. Their genome carries instructions that help them copy DNA and divide.<\/p>\n
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The system remains limited. SpudCells depend on outside supplies, cannot build their own ribosomes, do not control their own metabolism, and often pass on the wrong amount of DNA when they divide. They typically stop working after several generations.
\nScientists have been working toward synthetic life for decades. In 2010, US geneticist Craig Venter and his team unveiled what was then described as the first cell controlled by a laboratory-made genome, after transplanting synthetic DNA into a bacterium. Russian researchers have pursued parallel efforts through genome transplantation and genome reduction in Mycoplasma bacteria, seeking to identify the minimum set of genes needed to create a self-sustaining cell. In 2025, teams from Moscow State University and Novosibirsk State University were also recognized at the international SynBio Challenges competition for research related to synthetic cell engineering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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