Chilean biotech company Sticta Biologicals and Cultivated meat pioneer Meatable, along with Merken Biotech and the Center for Mathematical Modeling University of Chile, have been awarded a renowned Good Food Institute (GFI) research grant. The aim of the research project is to develop a precise and genome-scale metabolic model of porcine cells. This model will help to identify the most efficient way to feed porcine cells and ultimately increase yield.
The Good Food Institute and its donors fund open-access research aimed at protecting our environment, feeding the world, and revitalizing economies, as they require a healthy, sustainable, and just food system. Such research is essential to fostering good food innovation, reduce costs and scale up alternative proteins. Meatable and Sticta’s collaboration fits the picture, as it aims to co-develop the future of food that does not harm people, animals or the planet.
Technically, the project aims to develop a precise and robust proteome-constrained genome-scale metabolic model of porcine cells. This model will be refined and validated using -Omics experimental data obtained from time-course studies of the expansion and proliferation phases of pork cell lines provided by Meatable. Then, the model will help understand why cell biology changes during proliferation and to design media and cell line improvements that allow for longer expansion phases at faster population doublings, increasing yield and reducing process variability.
