Scientists at the University of Minnesota have created SpudCells, synthetic cells that can replicate DNA and divide multiple times, according to a July announcement. However, researchers emphasize that SpudCells are not self-sufficient and require external feeding to function.
SpudCells are described as fatty membrane bubbles containing DNA and proteins derived from viruses and bacteria. Unlike natural cells, they cannot produce their own ribosomes—complex machinery needed to build proteins—and rely on feeder liposomes
for essential materials like lipids, enzymes, and ribosomes. Researchers must chemically trigger their growth and division, which occur through mechanical stress rather than biological processes. The cells can replicate for only 5–10 generations before dying, far fewer than the ~50 divisions of natural cells.
Context and Limitations
SpudCells are not the first synthetic cell. In 2010, Craig Venter’s team created a synthetic genome inserted into a bacterial host, but Venter acknowledged the work did not constitute life from scratch.
Similarly, SpudCells lack the complexity of even the simplest free-living bacteria, such as Mycoplasma genitalium, which has a genome of 580,000 base pairs—more than six times larger than SpudCell’s 90,000 base pairs.
Katarzyna Adamala, who led the SpudCell project, called the cells an incredibly wimpy organism
that basically does nothing other than to eat and occasionally make a daughter cell.
While SpudCells can undergo basic selection—such as a mutation that improves nutrient uptake—they do not gain new genetic information, according to the researchers.
Potential Applications
Despite their limitations, SpudCells could aid in studying cellular responses to mutations and environmental pressures. Researchers observed that cells with a specific DNA mutation grew faster and reproduced more when starved, demonstrating a form of natural selection. The team also envisions bioengineering applications, such as producing chemicals or carbon capture, though such goals remain distant.
Adamala and colleagues have formed the Biotic coalition to standardize synthetic cell research and advance the technology. Challenges include replicating ribosome function and building cellular maintenance systems, which are critical for self-sufficiency. As physicist Tom Robinson noted, We’re quite far from a working synthetic cell, but we’re on the way.
