The University of Southampton

Author: Emily Patterson

Cutting Edge Cuisine : Exploring the Frontier of Lab-Cultivated Meat

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Can lab-grown meat be a more ethical food solution?

Recently, a number of my family became meat free. As a lover of chicken nuggets, I was surprised by this, with the scientist in me concerned about the potential drop of protein ingestion. Naturally I was curious about this change, and subsequently gained understanding of how detrimental conventional meat farming is to the environment, the harm to the animals and the cost involved. I recently attended a lecture about tissue engineering and was made aware about how it could be used to grow meat in a laboratory and did more research to determine whether this would be an improved method of meat farming and I believe it is. 

Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock represent 14.5% of emissions

A Global Assessment of Emissions and Mitigation Opportunities, Food And Agriculture Organization of The United Nations (FAO), Rome 2013.

The Science of Tissue Engineering

Tissues are made up of cells and an extracellular matrix ; this is anything in a tissue not located inside a cell and is produced by the cells themselves. Tissue engineering involves combining the living component of tissues (cells)  with a scaffolding material for structure and then placing it in a growth media for development. There are a range of scaffolding materials available some are biodegradable and some are not.

Cooking 101 : How to grow your own meat

Meat sold in stores is mostly muscle tissue from the animal it’s harvested from with some fat tissue so could be grown in a tissue engineering lab.  

  1. The process begins by extracting cells from an animal, a small sample is taken from an animal under anaesthesia by a trained professional. 
  2. Myosatellite cells (multipoint muscle stem cells) can be extracted and placed in bioreactors with a growth medium that mimics the natural environment the cells would experience as part of an animal (access to oxygen, nutrients and minerals need for differentiation/growth).
  3. Changes in the media composition ,usually cued by addition or activation of the scaffolding material, initiates the differentiation of the muscle stem cells allowing formation of skeletal muscle cells, fat cells and connective tissue.
  4. The differentiated cells are harvested, prepared and packaged before being sent off to be sold in stores.

Certain variables like the size of the meat being produced, the growth medium used, the number of stem cells you start with determines the time it takes for this process to occur. Current methods place the timeline between 2-8 weeks which is much faster than rearing an animal from birth for their meat.

Benefits, Limitations and Ethics

Watch this short video to see the benefits of the production process of lab cultivated meat environmentally, to animal welfare and eventually financially.

The main limitations of lab grown meat include:

  • Scaffolding materials are unable to supply oxygen and nutrients to larger tissues like muscle
  • Developing these technologies will be expensive so first generation products might not be affordable to the average household

The main ethical implications are:

  • Animals must still undergo a procedure to extract the cells
  • If the scaffolding material cannot be removed from the end product a hybrid product will be formed as there are no animal based scaffolds currently available.

My Opinion

However, I believe that like me, when people become more aware about the negative effects that large cattle farms have on the environment, how much more cost effective meat production could be as technology advances and ,the biggest reason, that no more animals have to die or be raised solely to be eaten, lab grown meat will rise in popularity and will be properly invested in as an industry.

Stemming the tide : How stem cells could kick MS to the curb – draft

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Stem cells represent a groundbreaking frontier in medicine, offering a revolutionary approach to treating a myriad of diseases and injuries. At the core of their promise lies the remarkable plasticity and self-renewal capacity of stem cells. Unlike specialised cells in the body, which have limited regenerative capabilities, stem cells retain the ability to proliferate and differentiate into specialised cell types, such as neurons, muscle cells, or blood cells. This remarkable versatility makes them invaluable tools for repairing damaged tissues, replacing dysfunctional cells, and restoring organ function in a wide range of conditions.

One of the most compelling applications of stem cells lies in regenerative medicine, where they offer hope for individuals suffering from degenerative diseases and injuries such as MS. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterised by inflammation, demyelination, and damage to nerve fibers. It is believed to result from a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors triggering an abnormal immune response. MS typically presents with a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, weakness, numbness, vision problems, and difficulties with coordination and balance. The course of the disease varies widely among individuals, with periods of relapse (exacerbations) followed by partial or complete recovery, and periods of remission. Over time, however, MS can lead to cumulative neurological damage, resulting in permanent disability. Treatment aims to manage symptoms, reduce the frequency and severity of relapses, and slow disease progression through medications, rehabilitation therapies, and lifestyle modifications.

Over 2 million people worldwide suffer from MS and before now treatment has focused mainly on symptom management and not the initial problem. A person develops MS when their body’s own immune system attacks the myelin, an insulating and protective sheath, that surrounds nerve fibres. This causes the disruption of messages sent around the central nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. The particular section of the immune system that initiates the attack are cells called macrophages that eat harmful cells or pathogens that have made their way into the body. The macrophages found in the brain are called microglial cells and in progressive forms of MS they cause chronic inflammation and damage to nerve cells.

Now, in research published in the Cell Stem Cell, scientists have completed a first-in-human, early-stage clinical trial that involved injecting neural stem cells directly into the brains of 15 patients with secondary MS recruited from two hospitals in Italy. The trial was conducted by teams at the University of Cambridge, Milan Bicocca and the Hospitals Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza and S. Maria Terni  (IT) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (Lugano, Switzerland) and the University of Colorado (USA).

The stem cells utilized in the study were derived from brain tissue sourced from a single miscarried foetus, these stem cells would be classed as adult stem cells. This method offers a solution to the practical hurdles associated with sourcing foetal tissue from multiple donors. Over a span of 12 months, the Italian research team closely monitored the patients and observed no treatment-related fatalities or severe adverse effects. While temporary or reversible side effects were noted, none of the patients experienced a deterioration in disability or symptoms throughout the study duration. Moreover, there were no indications of relapse symptoms reported, and cognitive function remained relatively stable. As a result, the researchers concluded that the patients demonstrated considerable stability in their disease progression, showing no signs of deterioration. However, the initial high levels of disability among participants present challenges in conclusively affirming the findings.

There are some ethical implications of using stem cells from a miscarried foetus (need to do more research on harvesting stem cells in this instance and not just from embryos)

Need to reduce word count / sum up sections more

Bionic Knuckles for Kids

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Recently, I came across a news story about new bionic knuckles being developed specifically for children.

I read about how these bionic knuckles are being developed for children who have only part of their hand missing as no artificial hand could fit properly leaving them unable to play, read and drink or eat without assistance. But with the development of the bionic knuckles the battery powered thumb and fingers allow the child to form a proper grip allowing them to carry out basic tasks independently which I think is a crucial part of growing up, feeling free to do things on your own.

From the article I understood that the bionic knuckles were built as an aluminium frame with tiny motors and gears built into the thumb and index finger. The lightweight metal chosen means the frame is lighter than a real hand so the child can do activities that involve finer finger movements so they can play video games or paint or read. I think they will really improve the quality of life for all the children who receive them.