(394c) Area 15a Plenary: Opportunities for Cell Engineering for Cellular Agriculture

Mixing the right cells, support materials, and nutrients/growth factors to guide cells toward a programmed tissue (food) outcome ex vivo is the goal for cellular agriculture, with a focus on muscle and fat. A tissue engineering approach using cells from livestock and other animals, offers an alternative opportunity to generate foods of the future, including new routes to protein-enriched or meat-like foods. At the same time, bioengineering approaches can be utilized to selectively enhance features of these cells to improve food quality and nutrition. Some of our strategies will be described, with a focus on moving cells cultivated in vitro for food to the next generation of control related to nutrition, health, stability and function.