CH391L/S13/Synthetic Meats and Organs

Introduction to Synthetic Meats and Organs

"Fifty years hence, we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium." - Winston Churchill

Since the advent of tissue engineering, the desire to create lab-grown replacement organs accrued in order to fulfill the needs of transplant patients. When organs deteriorated due to disease or powerful drug treatment, this need arise but not always satisfied. In fact, over 100,000 patients are said to be on the recipient waiting list every year. Moreover, over 6,000 people die from the lack of a donor organ. Simply, there are enough donor organs to be given around and, for the remaining organs available, compatibility is a major issue. Therefore, in vitro organs would be proper solution because these organs can be grown tailored to each and every patient. In Vitro organs are organs cultured outside the body. In vitro organs are also known as synthetic organs. The main objective of research in synthetic organs is to maintain and direct the overall development of the organ's architecture.

Incidentally, the offshoot topic of in vitro meats received popular attention concomitantly with in vitro organs. In vitro meats currently has not prevalence in today's economy because simply there is no demand for synthetic meats. Most people who indulge in nonvegetarian food are complacent of the environmental impact and even the preparation of their meat. While, vegetarians and vegans do not support such an option due to its unavailability. Without a demand, in vitro meats research cannot find the capital to industrialize and mass produce synthetic meats. As of now (2013), an in vitro meat hamburger is estimated to cost $330,000. The only hope for this possible industry is to take advantage of the skyrocketing prices of meats, namely beef. Although the potentials of in vitro meats can solve many societal issues, in vitro meats research needs to address certain pitfalls. In vitro meats are cultured muscle tissue with the purpose of replacing dietary meat. In Vitro meats are known as synthetic meats, test tube meat, tube steak, cultured meat, hydroponic meat, vat-grown meat, victimless meat and shmeat.

History

some dates

Ethics

vegetarianism global warming

Public Reception

taste, opinions

References

1. Benjaminson MA, Gilchriest JA, and Lorenz M. In vitro edible muscle protein production system (MPPS): stage 1, fish. Acta Astronaut. 2002 Dec;51(12):879-89. DOI:10.1016/s0094-5765(02)00033-4 |
2. Ott HC, Matthiesen TS, Goh SK, Black LD, Kren SM, Netoff TI, and Taylor DA. Perfusion-decellularized matrix: using nature's platform to engineer a bioartificial heart. Nat Med. 2008 Feb;14(2):213-21. DOI:10.1038/nm1684 |

3. Possibilities for an in vitro meat production system

4. Meeting the demand: An estimation of potential future greenhouse gas emissions from meat production

5. The role of bioreactors in tissue engineering

6. Carrier RL, Papadaki M, Rupnick M, Schoen FJ, Bursac N, Langer R, Freed LE, and Vunjak-Novakovic G. Cardiac tissue engineering: cell seeding, cultivation parameters, and tissue construct characterization. Biotechnol Bioeng. 1999 Sep 5;64(5):580-9. DOI:10.1002/(sici)1097-0290(19990905)64:5<580::aid-bit8>3.0.co;2-x |