Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in , Engineering 'Artificial' Life.
'The Independent' reports that scientists have created a yeast cell with 50% synthetic DNA, coming one step closer to creating complex "artificial" life.
An international team combined over seven synthetic chromosomes into a single cell, which later survived and reproduced like a normal yeast cell.
Yeast, which stores DNA within a nucleus, is a single-celled microbe classified as an "eukaryotic" organism.
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'The Independent' reports that it is the first time scientists have tried to engineer the entire genome of an eukaryote.
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We decided that it was important to produce something that was very heavily modified from nature’s design, Professor Jef Boeke, synthetic biologist at New York University’s Langone Health and leader of Sc2.0, via 'The Independent' .
Our overarching aim was to build a yeast that can teach us new biology, Professor Jef Boeke, synthetic biologist at New York University’s Langone Health and leader of Sc2.0, via 'The Independent' .
The team believes that their achievement could help develop new products like biofuels and vaccines.
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The team believes that their achievement could help develop new products like biofuels and vaccines.
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The synthetic chromosomes are massive technical achievements in their own right, but will also open up a huge range of new abilities for how we study and apply biology, Dr. Ben Blount, assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, via 'The Independent' .
This could range from creating new microbial strains for greener bioproduction, through to helping us understand and combat disease, Dr. Ben Blount, assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nottingham, via 'The Independent' .
The team's findings were published in the journals 'Cell,' 'Molecular Cell' and 'Cell Genomics.'
