Researchers build synthetic SpudCell that completes life cycle

4 min read

Researchers at the University of Minnesota built SpudCell, a synthetic cell assembled from lab chemicals that completes a full life cycle from birth to division. SpudCell performs many cell-like behaviors — it feeds, grows, replicates its genome, divides and undergoes selection — yet it is not self-sufficient because it cannot build ribosomes and must be supplied with proteins and enzymes. Its genome is a pared-down 90,000 base pairs split across seven DNA molecules, which can limit full genetic transfer and confine lineages to about five to ten generations. Next steps include encoding ribosome production and improving heredity.

SpudCell completes a bottom-up life cycle but cannot self-produce ribosomes.