Cultured Lamb
Growing cultured lamb muscle
Vicky Andriessen
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Vicky Andriessen
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Who: Vicky Andriessen, masters student in biomedical engineering
When: 2020 – 2021
Institutes: University of Auckland, New Zealand
Supervisors: Laura Domigan, senior lecturer of engineering at the University of Auckland
Vicky is trying to grow cultured lamb muscle. Ovine (lamb) cells have been shown to be promising for in vitro culture, but have not been widely used in cellular agriculture. Using cells isolated from New Zealand sheep – notoriously high-quality meat – Vicky will be testing their capability to grow into 3D muscle structures.
New Zealand lamb is a popular global commodity, accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars in exports every year. Since ovine cells are good candidates for 3D cell culture, cultured lamb meat could be an easy cell ag product to make with a lot of commercial interest.
Vicky successfully isolated and cultured ovine cells. In addition, she investigated the properties of these cells and their ability to form muscle fibers. Her work concluded that ovine is an eligible cell source for cultured meat and lays the groundwork for continued research into cultured lamb.
The results of Vicky’s work is published in her master’s thesis, The suitability of ovine as a cell source for cultured meat applications.
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