The Pac-Man cell that “eats” bacteria: Artificial cells can be used to destroy germs like E. coli and clean up water pollution, according to scientists
- Scientists have developed an artificial cell that can eat bacteria, such as 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 the universities of New York and Chicago
Scientists have developed an artificial cell that can eat bacteria, just like the famous video game character Pac-Man.
The cells are the size of a red blood cell and can be used to “eat” bad bacteria like E coli, administer medications to places on the body, and clean up water contamination.
The Pac-Man cell was created by researchers at New York and Chicago universities by drilling a microscopic hole into a sphere made of a polymer to allow matter to enter or exit.
The cell can be pumped or eaten by light. The research was published in Nature.
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Scientists have developed an artificial cell that can eat bacteria, like the famous video game character Pac-Man (stock image)
Stefano Sacanna, an associate professor of chemistry at New York University, said, “Think of cell imitations like the Pac-Man video game: they’re eating pollutants and removing 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 limited to the realm of the living cell,” he added. that the artificial cell can “ingest, process, and expel foreign bodies.” ‘
The researchers tested cell mimics in different environments.
“In one experiment, they suspended the mimics of the cells in water, activated them with light and observed them ingesting particles or impurities from the water around them, illustrating a potential application for cleaning microscopic contaminants. out of the water.
The Pac-Man cell was created by researchers at the universities of New York and Chicago by drilling a microscopic hole in a sphere made of a polymer to allow the entry or exit of matter (stock image)
In another experiment, they showed that cell mimics can swallow E.coli bacteria and trap them inside the membrane, potentially offering a new method to fight bacteria in the body.
Another future application for cell mimics could be drug delivery, as they can release a preloaded substance when activated.
Researchers continue to develop and study cellular imitations, including the construction of tasks that perform different tasks and learn 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 the vandals from changing the name to create obscenity.