They develop immortalized bovine stem cells that could allow the production of infinite meat

Infinite mass production of meat is closer to becoming a reality, as researchers at Tufts University have been able to develop immortalized bovine muscle stem cells (iBSCs) that can grow rapidly and divide indefinitely.

Although in order for cell farming, that is, the process of growing meat in bioreactors, to feed millions of people, it will still be necessary to overcome several technical challenges, since muscle cells from chicken, fish, cows and other sources must be cultivated. of food to produce millions of metric tons per year.

Muscle and fat stem cells taken from live animals must have a very high capacity to grow and divide if they are to be used to start a culture.. These primordial cells usually divide only about 50 times before they begin to age and are no longer viable.. While it is theoretically possible for these stem cells to produce a substantial amount of meat, the immortalized cells developed by the TUCCA team offer several advantages, including producing significantly more mass for meat production and lowering the barrier to entry for others. researchers explore cellular agriculture.

“Usually, researchers have had to do their own isolates of animal stem cells, which is expensive and time-consuming, or use model cell lines from less relevant species, such as mouse muscle cells,” said Andrew Stout, a student at TUCCA postgraduate and project lead investigator, “Using these new persistent bovine cell lines, your studies can be more relevant, literally getting right to the heart of the matter.”

Two steps have been key to transforming regular bovine muscle stem cells into immortalized bovine muscle stem cells.. Most cells, as they divide and age, begin to lose DNA at the ends of their chromosomes, called telomeres, like worn strings that fray with use.. This can lead to errors when DNA is copied or repaired.. It can also cause gene loss and eventually cell death.

The researchers engineered the bovine stem cells to constantly rebuild their telomeres, effectively keeping their “juvenile” chromosomes ready for another round of replication and cell division.

The second step in immortalizing the cells was to have them continuously produce a protein that stimulates a critical stage of cell division.. This effectively speeds up the process and helps cells grow faster.

Stout and his research team found that the new stem cells did differentiate into mature muscle cells, although not quite identical to animal muscle cells or muscle cells from conventional bovine stem cells.

“It's possible that they're mature enough to replicate the flavor and texture of natural meat,” Stout said, “That's something we'll have to explore further.”. They are doubling at a very fast rate, so they may need a little longer to reach full maturity.”

“While some may question whether it is safe to ingest immortalized cells, in fact, when the cells are harvested, stored, cooked and digested, there is no viable path to continued growth,” said David Kaplan, a professor of biomedical engineering at Tufts and director of TUCCA. “Like the natural meat we eat today, the cells are simply turned into inert material that we hope will taste delicious and provide a wide range of nutritional benefits.”