Scientists Create Artificial Cell That Copies Its DNA
SpudCell, built by biologist Kate Adamala, can produce proteins, copy its genome and divide into new cells.
Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Life Sciences
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Researchers have created SpudCell, an artificial cell with a fat-molecule membrane enclosing 36 genes and special proteins. The cell can copy its own DNA and divide, though it can complete only a few division cycles before the process stops.
Why it matters
SpudCell shows that a synthetic cell can carry out core cellular tasks such as protein production, DNA copying and division. Its limits, including its inability to produce ribosomes on its own and its need for a constant supply of nutrients, mark the gap researchers must close before such systems can be widely used.
The study reports 36 genes and a genome divided into seven circular plasmid segments, with the cell completing only a few division cycles before the process stops. It is published as a bioRxiv preprint, and the source does not state how the cell would perform over longer periods.
The players
Kate Adamala
Adamala is a biologist at the University of Minnesota who created SpudCell and co-launched the Biotic initiative.
Drew Endy
Endy is a Stanford researcher who co-launched the Biotic initiative with Kate Adamala to advance synthetic biology.
The details
The cell has a membrane made of fat molecules that encloses a watery environment holding its genes and proteins. During division it elongates, forms a constriction and splits into two daughter cells. Development of SpudCell required several years of experiments.
Timeline
Development of SpudCell took several years of experiments.
The Biotic initiative targets 2050 as the year for its goals of global change.
The Big Picture
SpudCell sits within the Biotic initiative, which aims to replace petroleum-based products with bioengineered chemicals and decentralize the production of medicines and food by 2050. The cell's current limits, including its need for outside nutrients and its short run of division cycles, show how far the field still has to go before those goals are reached.
Synthetic cells like SpudCell could eventually shape how medicines and food are produced, but the current prototype remains a research tool rather than a product. Readers should expect the technology to develop over years of further experiments before it reaches everyday use.
The takeaway
SpudCell demonstrates that basic cellular functions can be assembled from scratch, but its short division run and dependence on outside nutrients show that synthetic cells remain at an early stage of development.
Further reading
For more on the research behind this work, explore the Life Sciences section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by RBC-Ukraine.
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