Which scientist led the team that created the first synthetic bacterial cell in 2010?

J. Craig Venter led the team that created the first synthetic bacterial cell in 2010.

Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute synthesized a bacterial genome and transplanted it into a Mycoplasma capricolum cell whose natural DNA had been removed. The recipient cell began operating under the control of the laboratory-built genome and reproduced, producing the strain Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0. The team reported the breakthrough in Science in May 2010.

The genome was not assembled casually from scratch: researchers designed it from a digital sequence, built it in overlapping DNA segments, assembled those pieces in yeast, and then transferred the completed chromosome into the prepared recipient cell. The synthetic genome also included watermark sequences, allowing the researchers to identify it and distinguish it from naturally occurring DNA.

The phrase “synthetic cell” can cause confusion. The genome was chemically synthesized, but the cell’s surrounding membrane and much of its molecular machinery came from a natural host cell. Venter led the project, while scientists including Daniel Gibson and Hamilton Smith made major contributions. The experiment demonstrated control by a synthetic genome rather than the creation of every cellular component from raw materials.