All articles tagged with #spudcell
Scientists unveiled SpudCell, a bottom-up synthetic cell that can feed, grow and reproduce, designed to function as a tiny, open-access biofactory for sustainable materials and drugs. With Biotic hosting its patent and the University of Minnesota license, the project aims to democratize access to micro-scale bioengineering to accelerate low-carbon manufacturing, while prompting debates over governance, ethics and biosafety.
Scientists have built SpudCell, a synthetic cell assembled from nonliving chemical components that can feed, grow and replicate for about five generations; though far simpler than natural cells and requiring externally supplied ribosomes, the work marks a milestone in synthetic biology toward understanding life's origins and enabling future bioengineering, with safety safeguards discussed and the core technology to be shared openly via Biotic.
Scientists at the University of Minnesota created SpudCell, a manmade, liposome-encased system that can feed, grow, reproduce and compete for nutrients using a 36-gene gene set derived from a virus and E. coli; though not fully alive, it shows key life‑like traits and can evolve in mixed cultures. Researchers aim to add ribosomes and longer-term self-replication, and they've launched Biotic—a nonprofit to foster open collaboration while addressing biosafety.