StemCell Therapy

The approach builds on technology developed for regenerative medicine. I work in a lab that investigates ways to engineer tissue for the replacement or repair of human organs. We use some of these methods to grow meat.

The first step involves what I call a high-tech cotton-candy machine. The machine takes in a solution of water and gelatin, spins it at a high rate, and sends out nano- and microfibers that get woven together into a slab. The texture of the slab mimics that of an animals muscular tissuethe part that gives meat its texture. We then immerse the slab into a solution containing stem cells from a cow or a rabbit, where it acts as a scaffolding for the cells to cling to and grow. We use myoblastsstem cells that are already committed to turning into muscle cells. Once the solution has permeated the scaffolding, we turn the stem cells into muscle cells by tweaking the nutrients in the solution. Et voil, we have long, thin threads of muscle, like in real meat.

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Q&A: Growing Steaks in the Lab - Physics

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