AWARDED PROJECTS

Cell Ag Tech: Scaling up the manufacturing of fish muscle stem cells from a 2D to 3D culture system with proteomic assessments of the cells

Overview

The global seafood industry has a first-sale value of over $400B annually, and growth is forecast to continue. With commercial fishing and aquaculture unable to meet growing market demand, cell-cultured seafood can play an integral role in helping to supply the global market in a sustainable manner. As most of the seafood production in Canada occurs in the coastal regions, cell-cultured seafood provides Ontario with a unique opportunity to participate in the seafood economy.

Working with CCRM/Cytiva, a global leader in scaling up cell manufacturing, CELL AG TECH intends to grow snapper cells in 2D and 3D, to lay the foundation for commercial-scale production and commercialization. Proteomic assessments will be performed on muscle precursor cells from 2D and 3D cultures to:

  1. Determine the differences in protein expression between 2D and 3D
  2. Regulate the environment the cells are grown in to achieve optimal conditions and outcomes
  3. Better understand the nutritional value of the cells
  4. Provide data for regulatory processes.

This level of scale-up will move our organization closer to commercial scale production and price competitiveness, as well as allowing us to produce a greater number of cells for our experiments and R&D initiatives, such as valuable optimization parameters and creation of additional food product prototypes.