In this episode of the Cultured Meat and Future Food Show, Natalie Rubio discusses her pioneering doctoral research at the Kaplan Lab, where she focuses on growing cultured meat from insect cells. Funded by a New Harvest fellowship, her work addresses some of the primary technical hurdles in cellular agriculture, such as the high cost and scaling difficulties of traditional mammalian cell culture. Natalie explains that insect cells are inherently robust and require simpler growth media, making them a potentially more sustainable and cost effective foundation for the next generation of alternative proteins.
Beyond the technical aspects of her research, Natalie shares her personal journey into cellular agriculture and the interdisciplinary atmosphere of the Kaplan Lab. She highlights the collaborative nature of the field at Tufts University, where she has had the opportunity to help design and teach the first undergraduate course in cellular agriculture. Her conversation emphasizes the importance of academic leadership in providing the fundamental science needed to transition lab grown products into commercially viable and palatable food options.