Custom cells: The building blocks of personalized medicine

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• October 10, 2022

Insight summary

Researchers are developing synthetic cells that could transform disease diagnosis and treatment. These artificial cells, crafted from nonliving elements, offer precise targeting of diseases and pave the way for personalized medicine, overcoming the limitations of natural cells. The emergence of such technology raises important ethical questions and requires careful regulation.

Custom cells context

To discover breakthrough medical treatments, scientists sometimes have to break the boundaries of therapeutics. For example, synthetic biologists and engineers are now learning to create custom-designed cells that may someday change how diseases are diagnosed and treated.

Even though there has been significant research on how cells behave, there is no way to understand these organisms completely. It is difficult to predict how cells will react to various environments or how they would respond when used in therapeutics. Synthetic or custom cells are one way to address this knowledge gap. Artificial cells are created from nonliving elements and can be customized to contain specific genomes, organelles, and enzyme pathways. They have the potential to act as microscopic bioreactors, allowing for medicines tailored to an individual’s DNA and disease risk profile (i.e., personalized medicine). 

The creation of artificial cells often includes polymers to mimic cellular membranes, nanotechnologies like microchips, and other components that would act as power sources. As a result, synthetic cells are complex enough to be used for precise applications but simple enough that they cannot evolve and cause unintended interactions. In addition, non-living cells are easier to control and manipulate than their natural counterparts. With a less complex biochemical framework, they can be structured to target diseases more precisely. Furthermore, synthetic cells’ complex forms allow engineers to select the required components and eliminate cellular waste, which can produce harmful biochemical reactions in the body. 

Disruptive impact

Scientists must cultivate natural components like bacteria or yeast in large bioreactors to develop a biologically produced drug. Since these live cells have very complicated genomes, inserting a new metabolic pathway into them is challenging. This method of drug production is costly and is only practical for medicines that are heavily commercialized. In contrast, synthetic cells have far easier genomes to engineer.

This feature enables the development of targeted drugs in smaller doses. Additionally, scientists could produce on-demand vaccines to protect populations against viruses or unique medications to treat rare illnesses. Synthetic cells can also target cancers at a specific level, allowing doctors to create drugs tailored to a cancer patient’s specific genome. 

In contrast, stem cell research has experienced significant breakthroughs using custom cells for personalized medicine applications. For example, the New York Stem Cell Foundation created embryonic stem cells from a patient with Type 1 diabetes. Researchers believe that this development is a crucial step to creating healthy, disease-specific stem cells that can be used to replace mutated or defective ones. However, some challenges remain with this treatment method, including autoimmunity, where the body destroys its healthy cells. Additionally, other scientists worry that enterprises might someday use synthetic cell replacements to create designer babies.

Implications of custom cells

Wider implications of custom cells may include: 

• Biotech firms developing disease-specific therapeutics to remedy cancers, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s.


• Startups investigating RNA editing technologies, which alter how proteins are formed. Such RNA editing tools might prove even more valuable and flexible than the CRISPR DNA editing technology.


• Synthetic cells widely used in point-of-care situations and therapy applications. 


• Increased research funding for artificial cells and organs, including organ-on-a-chip, DNA chips, and body-on-a-chip.


• Increasing debates and regulations on the ethics of combining natural cells with technology or developing synthetic humans.


• Biotech companies focusing on personalized medicine, tailoring treatments to individual genetic profiles.


• Governments and regulatory bodies intensifying scrutiny and setting stricter guidelines for biotech advancements, ensuring ethical practices and safety.

Questions to consider

• How might synthetic cells help people with chronic illnesses?


• What can governments do to ensure that synthetic biology research remains ethical?