> Traditional methods pour the proliferated cells on top of the scaffold and hope that they “stick”. This is easy, but results in tissues that aren’t uniform—in some places the cells attach well,
I watched a program where they were using this method to build a heart and appeared to be reasonably successful, but it is pot luck hoping some cells stick.
I guess getting cells to stick is one of the problems not cracked yet, so I wonder how stem cells know when to stick to an organ. I cant help but wonder if the cell sensing and signalling still has some secrets to give up.
> by shielding the cells within the scaffold.
Novel.
My only concern with lab grown meat is will it contain enough nutrition? We see supermarkets and farmers interested in growing meat as quickly as possible so it doesnt contain the same nutrition, arguably less nutrition, than organically grown food from the 70's.
For example, bacon (pig meat) contains less pantothenic acid as it helps to marbleise the meat but the animal will end up with fatty liver, and fat around the organs instead of under the skin. This then feeds into us, so some of the health complaints humans see are a result of how the food is grown (vegetable or animal). Here in the UK I've seen a suggestion that if everyone went vegetarian, we could free up 80% of the farmland.
I also know that supplements like Histidine will reduce red meat consumption, because dark meats are a source of histadine the precursor for histamine which helps white blood cells move through tissue. So I wonder if some of these supplements will end up in the lab grown meat?