US Scientists Create Synthetic Cell That Can Eat, Grow, and Divide
Scientists in the United States have successfully constructed a synthetic cell from non-living chemical components that can feed itself, grow, and divide over about five generations. The breakthrough, led by Professor Kate Adamala of the University of Minnesota and her team, produced a simple cell prototype named "SpudCell," composed of only 150 to 200 molecules. This cell mimics a basic bacterial structure but has a much smaller genome of 90,000 base pairs compared to natural cells.
Unlike natural cells that use a cytoskeleton to divide, SpudCell generates proteins that cluster on its membrane to force division. Each generation requires active feeding and takes approximately 12 hours to divide at 30 degrees Celsius. The synthetic cell cannot produce its own ribosomes and relies on ribosomes from E. coli bacteria supplied externally to synthesize proteins.
Adamala emphasized the cell's fully defined chemical composition, allowing precise engineering. She described it as a very weak organism that currently only consumes nutrients and occasionally produces a daughter cell, marking the initial step toward more complex synthetic biology. Drew Endy, a bioengineering professor at Stanford University and co-founder of the biotech institution Biotic, clarified that this is not the creation of life but rather the construction of a cell.
This development represents a significant advance in synthetic biology, moving beyond modifying existing natural cells to building cells from scratch. The researchers hope this will accelerate innovations in bio-economy sectors such as cancer treatments, carbon capture, and chemical production. The study is pending peer-reviewed publication, expected within the week.
Alongside the announcement, Adamala, Endy, Jan Jedrzejczak, and biotech entrepreneur Chris Rajio founded the public-benefit institution Biotic. Their goal is to make SpudCell a global open-source standard for synthetic biology, freely available to academics and nonprofits, with licensing fees for commercial use.
Regarding safety, the team stressed that the current synthetic organism poses no biological risk as it depends entirely on controlled external feeding and cannot reproduce outside the lab environment. However, experts caution about future risks from "mirror bacteria", synthetic organisms with molecular structures opposite to natural ones that could threaten humans, animals, and plants. Adamala and Endy noted that because the cell is built from the ground up, safety mechanisms can be engineered into its genome to prevent environmental hazards.
