Once put together, these chemicals were able to work like the components of a living cell. Researchers say the breakthrough could fundamentally change how synthetic cells are designed. How it was builtSpudCell was made using a bottom-up approach – the reverse of how synthetic cells have traditionally been made. Rather than modifying a living cell, the researchers assembled SpudCell from scratch. If the findings hold up under peer review, researchers say it could mark an important step towards a new generation of synthetic biology.