Designing an Algal Co-culture System for Increased Sustainability in Cellular Agriculture

Forauer, Jillian R.; Shih, Jao-Yuen J.; Marko, Jake A.; Berry, Timothy

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Designing an Algal Co-culture System for Increased Sustainability in Cellular Agriculture

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The global demand for meat is expected to double in the next half-century, but current meat production practices pose significant hazards to the environment and human health. The emerging field of cellular agriculture has the potential to solve problems associated with traditional animal agriculture by culturing animal products in vitro. Cellular agriculture is potentially more environmentally sustainable, but there are hurdles to overcome in large-scale production. Cell culture media is the nutrient solution in which the cells are grown and is a limiting factor in the cost and environmental impact of large-scale cellular agriculture. There is a need to extend the lifetime of the media by removing metabolic waste products and replenishing the media with nutrients. This would reduce media-associated costs, water usage, and energy usage of the system. This project aimed to create a co-culture system of primary bovine satellite cells (PBSCs) and the microalga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, to extend the media lifetime and improve the sustainability of large-scale cellular agriculture. The success of this system was assessed by collecting data on dissolved oxygen concentrations, culture pH, and cell proliferation and viability. The data suggest that PBSCs can remain viable in co-culture with C. reinhardtii and that the system increases dissolved oxygen and buffers the pH drop normally observed in animal cell culture. In a 200:1 ratio of C. reinhardtii to PBSCs grown in hypoxic conditions, the PBSCs were able to undergo one doubling in three days. Based on the pH data, the media lifetime was extended by 85%. This system should be further explored to optimize the media recycling potential of C. reinhardtii co-cultures.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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