Scientists Simulate Living Cell's Full Life Cycle

Researchers recreate how a minimal cell grows, divides, and performs essential functions

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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A team of scientists led by chemistry professor Zan Luthey-Schulten at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have simulated a living cell at nanoscale resolution, recreating how every molecule within the cell behaves over the course of a full cell cycle. The researchers used a modified bacterium with a pared-down genome, JCVI-syn3A, to make the task more manageable. Their comprehensive simulation accounted for every gene, protein, RNA molecule, and chemical reaction occurring within the cell to accurately reflect the timing of cellular events like DNA replication and cell division.

Why it matters

This groundbreaking simulation opens a new frontier of computer vision into the essential processes of life, allowing researchers to study the inner workings of a living cell in unprecedented detail. The ability to accurately capture the ever-changing conditions within a living cell provides valuable insights into the foundations of living systems and could lead to advancements in fields like synthetic biology and medicine.

The details

The team's simulation recreated the full 105-minute cell cycle of the JCVI-syn3A bacterium, a modified version of a "minimal cell" developed at the J. Craig Venter Institute. To achieve this, the researchers had to account for every molecular component and process within the cell, from DNA replication to protein translation to metabolism. They used a combination of experimental data, computational techniques, and an understanding of the roles and interactions of thousands of molecular players. The simulation revealed key details about the cell's DNA replication and symmetrical cell division.

  • The research team's work on simulating the JCVI-syn3A cell cycle began in 2018 and culminated in the current publication.

The players

Zan Luthey-Schulten

A chemistry professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the lead researcher on the project.

Angad Mehta

A professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a co-author on the study.

Taekjip Ha

A researcher at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and a co-author on the study.

Zane Thornburg

A postdoctoral fellow at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Cancer Center at Illinois, who contributed to the simulations.

Andrew Maytin

A graduate student in Zan Luthey-Schulten's lab, who also contributed to the simulations.

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What they’re saying

“This is a three-dimensional, fully dynamic kinetic model of a living minimal cell that mimics what goes on in the actual cell.”

— Zan Luthey-Schulten, Chemistry professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Cell)

“I can't overstate how hard it is to simulate things that are moving - and doing it in 3D for an entire cell was … triumphant.”

— Zane Thornburg, Postdoctoral fellow, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Cancer Center at Illinois (Cell)

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue refining and expanding their simulations to further understand the fundamental processes of life.

The takeaway

This groundbreaking simulation represents a major step forward in our ability to visualize and comprehend the complex inner workings of a living cell, paving the way for advancements in fields like synthetic biology and medicine.