Using decellularized spinach as a scaffold for cultivated meat

Webinar description

How can we develop edible scaffolds for cultivated meat production? Vegetables, such as spinach, have a network of vessels used to transport fluid throughout their tissues. Through decellularization, the plant cells can be removed while keeping these vessels intact. This provides a scaffold for growing bovine satellite cells that is edible and cost-effective. Join Dr. Glenn Gaudette, Professor & Inaugural Chair of Engineering at Boston College, as he discusses how decellularized spinach can be used to support cell growth in a bioreactor setting.

Meet the speaker

Glenn R. Gaudette, Ph.D., is the Inaugural Chair and Professor of Engineering at Boston College. He and his collaborators have pioneered the use of plants as scaffolds for heart regeneration. This work led to significant recognition, including Professor Gaudette and his colleagues being featured in media outlets throughout the world including Bill Nye Saves the World, CBS’s Innovation Nation, the BBC, and Popular Science. The work was invited to be on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as part of an exhibit entitled, “The Factory of Life.” Recently, a children’s book, From Plant to Human: The Extraordinary Spinach-Leaf Heart by Oscar Silver, was published about this inspiring work. Dr. Gaudette’s recent research aims to develop cost-effective methods for growing meat in the laboratory setting, which could reduce our reliance on conventional animal agriculture. Dr. Gaudette is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the National Academy of Inventors.