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New 3D Printing Course Pushes Medical Frontiers

A new course, “3D Printing the Human Body,” created by Kaplan Lab Research Faculty member Vincent Fitzpatrick, is providing students with invaluable hands-on experience at the forefront of biomedical engineering. The class allows students to work with a variety of bioprinters and learn from guest lecturers who are leaders in the field. From printing vertebrae to designing medical devices, the course is inspiring the next generation of innovators to think creatively about the future of medicine. Read more about the class and student perspectives in the article below! Citation: 3D-printing class pushes students to frontier of modern medicine

Natalie Rubio and the Future of Insect-Based Cultured Meat

In this segment of Mission Unstoppable, graduate researcher Natalie Rubio explains how the Kaplan Lab uses insect cells to create sustainable alternatives to traditional meat. She focuses on tobacco hornworms because their high muscle and fat content provide a unique texture similar to lobster or crab. By harvesting cells from insect eggs rather than the animals themselves, researchers can grow meat in a lab setting without causing harm to sentient beings. The process involves using scaffolds to give the growing cells structure and prevent them from becoming a formless substance. Natalie demonstrates how natural materials like parsley can be stripped… Read More »Natalie Rubio and the Future of Insect-Based Cultured Meat

John Yuen – New Harvest Fellowship Series

In this episode of the Cultured Meat and Future Food Show, John Yuen discusses his doctoral research at the Kaplan Lab, where he focuses on overcoming the challenges of nutrient and oxygen delivery in large-scale tissue constructs. John explains that while cells can typically only survive a few hundred microns from a source of nutrition, his work aims to develop perfused 3D tissue culture strategies to grow thicker pieces of muscle and fat. By investigating methods to create vascular-like networks within these tissues, he hopes to enable the production of whole cuts of meat with the complex structural organization found… Read More »John Yuen – New Harvest Fellowship Series

Andrew Stout – New Harvest Fellowship Series

In this episode of the New Harvest Fellowship Series, Andrew Stout discusses his doctoral research at the Kaplan Lab where he applies synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to enhance the nutritional profile of cultured meat. Andrew details his pioneering work in engineering bovine cells to produce beta carotene, a plant nutrient not naturally found in beef, which acts as a powerful antioxidant. By integrating these phytonutrients directly into the meat, he aims to create a “superfood” version of cultivated protein that could potentially reduce the oxidative damage often associated with red meat consumption. Beyond the biochemistry of his research, Andrew… Read More »Andrew Stout – New Harvest Fellowship Series

Natalie Rubio – New Harvest Fellowship Series

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,… Read More »Natalie Rubio – New Harvest Fellowship Series

Entomoculture: Reimagining the Future of Food with Insect Cells

In this presentation from the New Harvest 2019 Conference, Natalie Rubio introduces the concept of entomoculture, which combines the sustainability of edible insects with the technology of cellular agriculture. She argues that culturing insect cells offers significant advantages over traditional mammalian cell culture, as insect cells are more robust and can grow at room temperature in simpler, serum free media. By targeting specific muscle and fat body tissues, this research aims to create familiar, high protein food products that avoid the sensory barriers often associated with eating whole insects. Natalie shares her success in cultivating fruit fly and caterpillar muscle… Read More »Entomoculture: Reimagining the Future of Food with Insect Cells

Exploring the Future of Food with Insect-Based Proteins

In a featured segment from CBS Boston, Natalie Rubio discusses her groundbreaking research at the Kaplan Lab on the potential of insect based cellular agriculture. As a doctoral candidate, she explores using stem cells from tobacco hornworm caterpillars to create sustainable meat and seafood substitutes. This work is driven by a commitment to improving animal welfare and reducing the environmental footprint of our food system, particularly by decreasing the methane emissions and water usage associated with traditional livestock. The research highlights a growing movement toward using advanced biotechnology to solve global food challenges. By growing tissues in a controlled lab… Read More »Exploring the Future of Food with Insect-Based Proteins

Scaffolds 101: Building the Foundation for Cultured Meat

In this 2017 New Harvest presentation, Natalie Rubio discusses the critical role of scaffolding in transforming two dimensional cell cultures into structured meat products like steak or chicken breast. She explains that scaffolds provide the necessary surface area for muscle cells to adhere to and guide their development into organized tissues. While cellular agriculture has historically adapted techniques from the medical industry, Natalie emphasizes that food production introduces unique requirements, as scaffolds must be edible, sustainable, and capable of enhancing the final product’s texture and nutritional profile. Natalie details several potential scaffolding materials, including silk, collagen, and plant derived cellulose.… Read More »Scaffolds 101: Building the Foundation for Cultured Meat

David Kaplan Discusses the Evolving Landscape of Biomaterials Science

In an interview with the American Chemical Society, David Kaplan reflects on his role as Editor-in-Chief of ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering and how the journal serves as a home for groundbreaking research in biopolymer engineering and tissue engineering. He highlights the field’s exciting expansion into areas like 3D printing and computational design, while encouraging researchers to embrace interdisciplinary partnerships to build the synergy necessary for solving complex medical challenges. Citation: Interview with Editor-in-Chief of ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, David L. Kaplan

Exploring the Limitless Potential of Silk in High-Tech and Medicine

In this presentation, David Kaplan and Fiorenzo Omenetto discuss their transformative research into “reverse engineering” silk into a versatile, water-based solution that serves as a foundation for a wide array of sustainable technologies. From biocompatible medical implants and non-invasive drug delivery systems to programmable green electronics and shelf-stable vaccine storage, their work showcases how this ancient protein can be reimagined to solve modern challenges in global health and environmental sustainability. Their collaborative efforts continue to push the boundaries of materials science, bridging the gap between nature’s strongest natural polymer and the next generation of high-tech applications.