University of Minnesota scientists build most life-like synthetic cell

Scientists at the University of Minnesota say they have built the most living synthetic cell ever, a laboratory-made system composed entirely of non-living components that can grow, copy its genetic material, divide and even pass on useful traits to future generations.

The researchers described the work as a major step towards building artificial life, but said synthetic cells cannot survive outside carefully controlled laboratory conditions and require externally supplied nutrients and special ingredients to grow and divide.

Their findings were published as a preprint on bioRxiv on Thursday; This means that the research has not yet been peer-reviewed.

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“One of the most ambitious and fascinating goals of bioengineering is to build a biochemical system that can cross the threshold from chemistry to life,” the researchers wrote. They said the study showed “the first minimal cell with a genetically encoded cell cycle of growth and division, all coupled with selection and competition.”

Researchers call the synthetic cell “SpudCell”. Unlike previous approaches that started with living organisms, SpudCell was created from chemically defined, non-living components.

Its 90,000 base pair genome enables the synthetic cell to produce proteins, copy its DNA, feed, grow and divide into daughter cells.

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The researchers also discovered a genetic mutation that allows some synthetic cells to grow faster than others. After several generations, these faster-growing cells produced more offspring and became increasingly common in the population; This revealed a basic form of natural selection.

The team said the work represents “important milestones towards the construction of synthetic life” and could eventually provide a basis for “fully artificial organisms” designed for biotechnology applications.

Still, the researchers acknowledged that the system was far less capable than even the simplest living cells. Synthetic cells cannot survive outside laboratory conditions, require externally supplied nutrients and special components, and rely on ribosomes purified from the E. coli bacteria. After five generations, the researchers found that only 30% of the daughter cells had inherited the full synthetic genome.

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A file illustration shows a DNA strand and a stylized cell. University of Minnesota researchers say they have developed a synthetic cell that can grow, copy its DNA and divide under laboratory conditions. (REUTERS/National Human Genome Research Institute)

These limitations mean the work falls well short of creating self-sustaining artificial life, but the researchers said it showed that many of life’s defining features could be recreated from non-living materials.

The researchers also acknowledged that increasingly complex synthetic cells could raise new biosafety and biosecurity questions.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the University of Minnesota research team for comment.

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“This project presents a significant milestone in the evolution of synthetic cells, raising the possibility that more robust, autonomous systems will soon be available,” the authors wrote, adding that the progress “highlights the urgent need to develop a safety and security framework for future synthetic cell engineering.”

Future work will focus on making synthetic cells more self-sufficient by further revamping their molecular mechanisms, improving how genomes are distributed during cell division and allowing mutations to arise naturally rather than being introduced by researchers, the researchers said.