Every cultivated meat process starts with a simple requirement: cells must grow, divide, and keep dividing long enough to produce real food. But most primary cells have a short working life. They age quickly and stop doubling. Finding a way to extend their productive phase without altering their DNA could make cell-based meat far more scalable and accessible.
A Temporary Lifeline That Helps Cells Grow Longer
The patent (WO2023087033A1) introduces a way to give primary cells a reversible boost in lifespan. Instead of genetically modifying them, the method delivers short-acting “immortalizing factors” that help cells overcome the usual signals that tell them to stop growing. After expansion, those factors are removed, and the resulting cells no longer contain them.
The idea is easy to picture. Cells are given a brief dose of molecular helpers such as TERT or CDK4, which act like extra fuel for the cell cycle. This allows many additional doublings from a single biopsy, potentially enough to support large-scale cultivated meat production. Once the helpers are gone, the expanded cells return to behaving like typical, non-modified primary cells.
A University Building the Core Tools for Scalable Cellular Agriculture
Tufts University is known for foundational research in cellular agriculture, especially through its work on muscle biology and cell expansion. This patent fits neatly into that focus. By extending the lifespan of primary muscle cells without genetic modification, Tufts is addressing one of the central hurdles in making cultivated meat both affordable and ethical. Fewer biopsies, more robust cell banks, and more efficient biomass production all become possible with an approach like this.
The People Behind the Work
Congratulations to the inventors David L. Kaplan, Andrew Stout, John Yuen, and Natalie Rubio for their contribution to the field.
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About the Author — Nidhi Mote, PhD
This article is authored by biomedical scientist Nidhi Mote, PhD, whose work spans bioengineering, mechanobiology, and cell biology. She completed her PhD at the Max Planck Institute and is excited to connect with others in cellular agriculture, synthetic biology, tissue engineering, and advanced in vitro systems.
This post is based on publicly available information. Lab Grown Technologies is not affiliated with the inventors or organizations mentioned.