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Letcher, S. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Letcher, S. M..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2024

Establishment & Characterization of a Non-Adherent Insect Cell Line for Cultivated Meat

This study presents a blueprint for developing, scaling, and analyzing novel insect cell lines for food. The large-scale production of cultivated meat requires the development and analysis of cell lines that are simple to grow and easy to scale. Insect cells may be a favorable cell source due to their robust growth properties, adaptability to different culture conditions, and resiliency in culture. Cells were isolated from Tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) embryos and subsequently adapted to single-cell suspension culture in animal-free growth media. Cells were able to reach relatively high cell densities of over 20 million cells per mL in shake flasks. Cell growth data is presented in various culture vessels and spent media analysis was performed to better understand cell metabolic processes. Finally, a preliminary nutritional profile consisting of proximate, amino acid, mineral, and fatty acid analysis is reported. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=196 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/618906v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (52K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ef6bbborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@89c37eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@81a024org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@38bc91_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

bioengineering↗
bioRxiv2023

Engineered autocrine signaling eliminates muscle cell FGF2 requirements for cultured meat production

Cultured meat is a promising technology that faces substantial cost barriers which are currently driven largely by the price of media components. Growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) drive the cost of serum-free media for relevant cells including muscle satellite cells. Here, we engineered immortalized bovine satellite cells (iBSCs) for inducible expression of FGF2 and/or mutated RasG12V in order to overcome media growth factor requirements through autocrine signaling. Engineered cells were able to proliferate over multiple passages in FGF2-free medium, thereby eliminating the need for this costly component. Additionally, cells maintained their myogenicity, albeit with reduced differentiation capacity. Ultimately, this offers a proof-of-principle for lower-cost cultured meat production through cell line engineering.

bioengineering↗