Biotechnology News

Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first living cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA.

Scientists Make Synthetic Cell Using Manmade DNA

The researchers constructed a bacterium’s “genetic software” and transplanted it into a host cell. The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species “dictated” by the synthetic DNA.

From another report:
After 15 years and $40 million worth of research, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute have created a synthetic bacterial cell using manufactured DNA. The technology could be used in biofuels, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, clean water projects and food products. However, some ethicists have urged a slow and deliberate approach to the creation of human-made organisms.