WILEY

A team of chemists at Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands have built the world's first eukaryotic cell using polymers.

A eukaryotic cell is one with a nucleus and other structures enclosed within a membrane - meaning that eukaryotic cells are the basis for all complex life forms on Earth. They're capable of very efficient chemistry at a very small scale - something that's hard to replicate in the lab.


The researchers used a water droplet as their base structure, and then inserted tiny polystyrene spheres filled with enzymes to mimic key components, like the nucleus. They then coated the whole thing with polybutadiene-b-poly polymersom -- a plastic -- in place of the cell wall.

The resulting creation is compartmentalised like a real cell, and is capable of multi-step chemical processes. The team made it glow in the dark as a proof of concept.

The results could have a large impact on synthetic biology and chemistry - the new small-scale techniques enabled by these cells may allow for revolutions in artificial photosynthesis and biofuels production. "By simulating these things, we are able to better understand living cells," said Jan van Hest, who led the research published in

Nature Chemistry. "One day we will even be able to make something that looks very much like the real thing."