Top Tweets for #Acellular
What happens when #viruses blur the line between #acellular and #nonliving, and #cellular and #living?
Although there are well-founded theories that viruses are #evolutionarily derived from #cells, they are usually no longer capable of independent #proteinsynthesis and therefore depend on the host cell's equipment. By classical #definition, viruses do not meet the #criteria for #life.
The authors J. M. Fels et al. (2026) show that #giantDNA viruses are able to provide their own equipment for protein synthesis and thus partially fulfill the criteria for life.
They encode a #translation #initiation complex (#vIF4F) that functionally resembles eukaryotic-like conditions. Their vIF4F #replaces the host's #eIF4F and thus selectively initiates #viral protein synthesis. This can be described as switching from host protein synthesis to #viralproteinproduction.
It makes giant DNA viruses largely independent of the host cell, which, for example, #Acanthamoeba sp. can serve as.
© This text #StefanFWirth, Berlin February 2026
Reference
J. M. Fels et al. (2026)
https://t.co/Jc1BDALnO3
Harvard scientists just shattered one of biology’s oldest rules.
We were taught:
Viruses can’t make their own proteins. They hijack yours. That’s why they’re “not alive.”
Except giant DNA viruses just crossed that line.
Researchers found they carry a full eukaryotic-style translation complex (vIF4F). Translation machinery.
Inside a virus. They can keep making proteins even under stress that shuts down normal viral replication.
If a virus brings its own protein-making tools…
Is it still just a parasite?
For decades we’ve drawn a clean boundary:
Cell = alive
Virus = not alive
Nature doesn’t care about our categories.
Maybe viruses aren’t just evolutionary side notes.
Maybe they helped build complex life.
Paper in Cell 👇
https://t.co/QyGzZf9e6o
Harvard news: https://t.co/YKAfEngdS3
Swedish startup Ironic Biotech announced raising €1 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the development of its plant-based #heme iron protein via #precisionfermentation
#cellag #acellular #futureoffood
https://t.co/ClwNwVGpYz
#Precisionfermentation #dairy startups @eatformo and Those Vegan Cowboys announced forming a #partnership to efficiently #scale the production of cell-cultured casein, a key protein of #cheese products.
#cellag #futureoffood #acellular
https://t.co/oEZ8JqlNjj
#Precisionfermentation #dairy company @PerfectDayFoods announced a #partnership with food corporate Unilever to use its dairy proteins in a new lactose-free ice cream under the Breyers ice cream brand
#cellag #futureoffood #acellular
https://t.co/0z52mde1V3
Earlier in February, two #precisionfermentation #dairy companies, @newculturefoods and Vivici, received self-affirmed GRAS status for their cell-cultured dairy protein products to #launch in the US.
#cellag #acellular #regulation #futureoffood
https://t.co/ZqYhHT2P8q
A novel #Magnetically anastomosed small #VascularGraft with improved biocompatibility, artificial skin to restore sensation in wounds, and more👇
https://t.co/biHchxfzzV
@Aakash21shah @JohnTreffalls @Donald_chang @AnderDorken #Acellular
#Precisionfermentation #dairy startup @imagindairy received a letter of no objections or questions from the #FDA in the US for its cell-cultured whey protein product.
#cellag #acellular #futureoffood #regulation
https://t.co/cwS4DcUo5H
Following the launch of its new #precisionfermentation #egg product at 3-star Michelin restaurant Eleven Madison Park, @theEVERYcompany shared regulatory updates about its cell-cultured egg protein products
#cellag #acellular #regulation #futureoffood
https://t.co/CxtPar6pcJ
French #cellag #dairy startup Bon Vivant raised €15 million (USD $15.9 million) in seed funding to produce dairy proteins via #precisionfermentation
#cellularagriculture #futureoffood #acellular
https://t.co/3pVRNnzT5R
New startup #Vivici announced that it scaled up its #precisionfermentation platform to produce beta-lactoglobulin, the main whey protein in #dairy products
#cellag #scaling #futureoffood #acellular
https://t.co/EQ68GbqnIF
Unlike baby birds, we don't have to have our food "pre-chewed" for us, but that's really what a #smoothie is! By making the carbs #acellular, smoothies can spike #bloodsugar, disrupt our gut #microbiome, and even result in us eating more than planned. A new article here: https://t.co/KzR1sd4yZ7
“The completion of the target enrolment in @humacyte's Phase II/III #vascular #trauma trial is expected to enable BLA submission, and is another important landmark moment for our groundbreaking science." - @DrLauraNiklason #acellular #vessel #vascular https://t.co/uQdg5qOlNd
Along with #scaling cell-based meat production, there are also bottlenecks to scaling the production of #precisionfermentation (also known as #acellular ag) products.
#cellag #futureoffood #infrastructure
https://t.co/a1fen1tqye
📌#VolumetricMuscleLoss #tissueengineering #electrospun #hydrogels #acellular #stemcells
New Publication “Recent Advances in Scaffolding from Natural-Based Polymers for Volumetric Muscle Injury”
By: Bee Chin Ang, et al.
👉https://t.co/dL8oFiya5h
#mdpimolecules #NewPublication
#Cellag #dairy startup @newculturefoods announced a #partnership with chef Nancy Silverton to launch its cell-cultured #mozzarella cheese first at Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in 2024
#pizzeria #sustainable #precisionfermentation #acellular
https://t.co/lNvsA4nRS2
Austrian startup Fermify raised $5 million in seed funding to develop its automated platform for producing cell-cultured casein #dairy proteins via #precisionfermentation.
#cellag #futureoffood #acellular
https://t.co/JCasg47W89
Can #vaccines make bacterial populations evolve towards lower virulence? #Pertactin, one of the vaccine antigens against whooping cough, has been lost by many strains of #Bordetella #pertussis under vaccination with #acellular vaccines, used in the past 20 years.
“In #precisionfermentation, as in #cultivatedmeat, the priority should be designing and validating these new processes rather than #scaling legacy systems.”
Beyond larger facilities, what else should #acellular companies explore to reduce their costs?
https://t.co/DB5C3hWkL8
Ice cream brand @COOLHAUS launched its cell-cultured ice cream products in #HongKong. The brand’s animal-free ice cream products use @PerfectDayFoods’ cell-cultured dairy proteins.
#acellular #cellag #precisionfermentation #futureoffood
https://t.co/ElfhFEutj6
#Dairy startup @Remilk_Foods announced that it became the first #cellag food company to receive regulatory approval in the country for its #cellcultured dairy proteins
#cellag #futureoffood #acellular #precisionfermentation
https://t.co/DUizdhuHkU
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