Researchers claim creation of first fully synthetic cell, launch public benefit corporation to share technology

Researchers at the University of Minnesota reported in a preprint that they have built what they call a synthetic cell, dubbed "SpudCell," which they suggest may be the first of its kind.

The team constructed tiny lipid bubbles, known as liposomes, and loaded them with circular DNA molecules called plasmids. These vesicles appear to replicate their DNA and divide, with about 30% of the bubbles still containing the original DNA after five generations.

To make the technology widely available, the scientists have formed a public benefit corporation aimed at sharing the methods with other labs. The work has sparked discussion about whether such engineered structures should be considered alive, highlighting both the promise and the unanswered questions in synthetic biology.