Research Projects

Marbled Meat

Designing scaffolds to culture muscle and fat together

Stephanie Kawecki
University of California, Los Angeles, United States

cell

scaffold

Overview

Who: Stephanie Kawecki, Ph.D. student in bioengineering

When: 2020 – Present

Institutes: University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Supervisors: Amy Rowat, associate professor and vice chair of integrative biology and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles

Summary

Stephanie is designing a scaffold containing two different materials: one that’s ideal for growing muscle cells and another that’s ideal for fat cells. By combining these two materials in specific ratios and patterns, Stephanie will produce a marbled piece of cultured meat. She will measure the texture and fat distribution of this cultured steak and compare it to the different standards of conventional steaks.

: Fat cells on microparticle scaffolds ✨Fat gives meat texture and flavor, so it is crucial to develop a scaffold on which both muscle *and* fat cells can be cultured together. Unfortunately, the two prefer different growth environments, so Stephanie is working on creating a scaffold with regions of varying stiffness that cater to each cell type.

: Cryosectioning of marbled beef for scaffold analysis of native tissue. Findings from this analysis will guide the design of scaffolds on which to culture beef in vitro. 🥩

Why This Matters

Stephanie’s work will help get us closer to a more realistic cultured steak. Growing marbled meat in a lab is notoriously difficult because fat and meat prefer different growth environments. By designing a scaffold with characteristics that will support both cell types, Stephanie will help scientists grow meat alongside fat, which provides a steak with its signature texture and flavor.