University of Minnesota builds 'SpudCells' that reproduce but lack metabolism
Technology
Scientists at the University of Minnesota have built "SpudCells," artificial cells made completely from scratch, not copied from any living thing.
These cells use seven custom DNA loops to control their growth and can even reproduce, but they don't have a metabolism like real cells and only survive in special lab conditions.
Kate Adamala's team earns landmark praise
John Glass, a leading expert, called this breakthrough a "landmark event" because of how precisely these artificial genetic systems were designed.
It took Kate Adamala's team roughly five researcher-years to pull this off.
Their work is also inspiring global efforts, like the SynCell Asia Initiative, to standardize and speed up synthetic cell research, opening doors for future tech in biology and medicine.