First self-moving artificial cell created

The first artificial cell can move without life, using just three basic components and the laws of chemistry. The discovery opens up new directions in synthetic biology and deciphers how life moves.

In addition to its fundamental scientific value, the success of creating self-moving artificial cells also opens up many potential applications in biomedicine and construction - Photo: AI

In the work published in the journal Science, a group of scientists at The Institute of Biotechnology of Catalonia (IBEC) , University of Barcelona, ​​University College London, University of Liverpool, Biofisika Institute and the Ikerbasque Science Foundation say the artificial cell is one of the simplest structures ever created: it consists of just a lipid membrane, an enzyme and a pore. Yet it has the ability to orient itself and move based on chemical reactions, much like how sperm find eggs or white blood cells track signs of infection.

This phenomenon is called chemotaxis, the ability to move according to chemical concentrations, which is an important survival skill in the biological world . What is special about this artificial cell is that it does not need complex structures such as flagella or receptors.

"We recreated all this mobility with just three elements: a membrane, an enzyme and a nuclear pore. No fuss. And then the hidden rules of life emerged," shared Professor Giuseppe Battaglia (IBEC).

The artificial cells are made up of liposomes, fatty bubbles that mimic real cell membranes. When placed in an environment with a glucose or urea concentration gradient, enzymes inside the liposomes react with these molecules, creating a concentration difference.

That imbalance creates a microscopic flow across the cell surface, pushing it toward the side of higher concentration. The membrane pores act as a controlled “sluice gate,” creating the asymmetry needed to generate thrust, similar to the way a boat propels itself by the flow of water.

In their experiments, the team examined more than 10,000 artificial cells in microfluidic channels under tightly controlled gradient conditions. The results showed that cells with more nuclear pores moved more vigorously in the direction of chemotaxis; cells without pores moved only passively, possibly by simple diffusion.

In nature, motility is a vital survival strategy that helps living cells find nutrients, avoid toxins, and coordinate their growth. Simulating this phenomenon accurately with just three minimal components has brought scientists closer to deciphering how life might have begun to move in its early evolution.

In addition to its fundamental scientific value, the research also opens up many potential applications in biomedicine and construction. For example, artificial cells can be designed to deliver drugs to the right location of damage in the body, detect chemical changes in the microenvironment, or create programmable self-organizing systems in the construction industry.

Because these cellular components are ubiquitous in biology, they can be scaled up or adapted to create soft biomimetic microrobots that do not require metal frames or electronic circuits.

"Look closely at an artificial cell moving. Inside it lies the secret: how the cell whispers, how it transports vital things. But natural biology is too noisy, too detailed. So we 'cheat' a little. And then everything becomes streamlined, beautiful, a pure chemical music," Professor Battaglia likened.

MINH HAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lan-dau-tien-tao-ra-te-bao-nhan-tao-tu-di-chuyen-20250727080301666.htm