Scientists have created a “virtual bacteria” which mimics the way the organism works, in a breakthrough which could improve our understanding of disease and help find new treatments.
The computer programme developed by researchers at Stanford University is an exact replica of the Mycoplasma genitalium bacterium, including its DNA and all the other components of its single cell.
The scientists hope that the simulation will help them explore the subtleties of how a cell works, unravel the genetic causes of disease, and predict how new therapies could prevent or treat illness.
Prof Markus Covert, who led the study published in the Cell journal, told the BBC: “The public hear about a new ‘cancer gene’ being discovered … cancer is not a one-gene problem.
“There are thousands of factors interacting in very complicated ways and for us to understand a disease like that, we really need to start going back and trying to see if we can understand the whole cell.”
Telegraph has the full article
