An artificial cell, synthetic cell or minimal cell is an engineered particle that mimics one or many functions of a biological cell. Often, artificial cells are biological or polymeric membranes which enclose biologically active materials.[1] As such, liposomes, polymersomes, nanoparticles, microcapsules and a number of other particles can qualify as artificial cells.
The terms "artificial cell" and "synthetic cell" are used in a variety of different fields and can have different meanings, as it is also reflected in the different sections of this article. Some stricter definitions are based on the assumption that the term "cell" directly relates to biological cells and that these structures therefore have to be alive (or part of a living organism) and, further, that the term "artificial" implies that these structures are artificially built from the bottom-up, i.e. from basic components. As such, in the area of synthetic biology, an artificial cell can be understood as a completely synthetically made cell that can capture energy, maintain ion gradients, contain macromolecules as well as store information and have the ability to replicate.[2] This kind of artificial cell has not yet been made.
However, in other cases, the term "artificial" does not imply that the entire structure is man-made, but instead, it can refer to the idea that certain functions or structures of biological cells can be modified, simplified, replaced or supplemented with a synthetic entity.
In other fields, the term "artificial cell" can refer to any compartment that somewhat resembles a biological cell in size or structure, but is synthetically made, or even fully made from non-biological components. The term "artificial cell" is also used for structures with direct applications such as compartments for drug delivery. Micro-encapsulation allows for metabolism within the membrane, exchange of small molecules and prevention of passage of large substances across it.[3][4] The main advantages of encapsulation include improved mimicry in the body, increased solubility of the cargo and decreased immune responses. Notably, artificial cells have been clinically successful in hemoperfusion.[5]
Part of a series of articles on
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biological circuits
Synthetic gene database
BioBrick
Registry of Standard Biological Parts
Genome editing
CRISPR
Gene therapy
Synthetic immunology
Artificial cells
Artificial gene synthesis
Synthetic genomics
Mycoplasma laboratorium
Protocell
Xenobiology
Nucleic acid analogue
Xeno nucleic acid
Unnatural base pair
Expanded genetic code
Mirror life
Other topics
Hazards
Open synthetic biology
Do-it-yourself biology
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^Buddingh' BC, van Hest JC (April 2017). "Artificial Cells: Synthetic Compartments with Life-like Functionality and Adaptivity". Accounts of Chemical Research. 50 (4): 769–777. doi:10.1021/acs.accounts.6b00512. PMC 5397886. PMID 28094501.
^Deamer D (July 2005). "A giant step towards artificial life?". Trends in Biotechnology. 23 (7): 336–338. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2005.05.008. PMID 15935500.
^Cite error: The named reference Prakash was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Gebelein CG (1983). Polymeric materials and artificial organs based on a symposium sponsored by the Division of Organic Coatings and Plastics Chemistry at the 185th Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society. ISBN 978-0-8412-1084-4.[page needed]
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