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The Pac-Man cell that “eats” bacteria: an artificial cell can be used to destroy germs such as E. coli and clean up water pollution, scientists say
- Scientists have developed an artificial cell capable of eating bacteria, like Pac-Man
- The cells are the size of red blood cells and can be used to ‘eat’ bad bacteria
- The cell was created by researchers at New York and Chicago universities
Scientists have developed an artificial cell capable of eating bacteria, just like starving video game character Pac-Man.
The cells are the size of a red blood cell and can be used to “eat” bad bacteria such as E coli, deliver drugs to sites in the body, and clean up pollution from the water.
The Pac-Man cell was created by researchers at New York and Chicago universities by drilling a microscopic hole in a polymer sphere to allow matter to enter or exit.
The cell can be made to pump or “eat” by lighting it up. The research has been published in Nature.
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Scientists have developed an artificial cell capable of eating bacteria, just like starving video game character Pac-Man (stock image)
Stefano Sacanna, associate professor of chemistry at New York University, said: “Think of cell imitators like the Pac-Man video game – they eat pollutants and remove them from the environment.”
He added: “Our design concept allows these artificial cell mimics to function autonomously and perform active transport tasks that have so far been confined to the living cell domain,” adding that the cell artificial can “ingest, process and expel foreign bodies”. ‘
The researchers tested the cell mimics in different environments.
“In one experiment, they suspended cell mimics in water, activated them with light, and observed them ingesting particles or impurities from the water around them, illustrating a potential application for clean microscopic pollutants from the water.
The Pac-Man cell was created by researchers at New York and Chicago universities by drilling a microscopic hole in a polymer sphere to allow matter to enter or exit (stock image)
In another experiment, they demonstrated that cell mimics can swallow E. coli bacteria and trap them inside the membrane, potentially providing a new method of fighting bacteria in the body.
Another future application of cell mimics could be drug delivery, as they can release a preloaded substance when activated.
Researchers continue to develop and study cell imitators, including building imitators that perform different tasks and learning how different types communicate with each other.
Pac-Man video games were released in 1980.
They were originally called Puck Man, but the makers of Namco decided to change their name to prevent vandals from changing the name to create obscenity.
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