https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/24/08/19/12263/

Hyperion FoodTech, a startup in Nara City, has succeeded in 3D culture of pluripotent stem cells (ES cells) derived from domestic bovine embryos.

In July 2023, the company established ES cells from fertilized embryos of domestic beef cattle and named them as “BEEF cells (Bovine Embryo-derived stem cell for Engineered Food or Bovine Embryo-derived Element Forming cell)”. BEEF cells are derived from bovine muscle, which are used in many of the cultured beef products developed in Japan. This time, the company has succeeded in culturing these BEEF cells in 3D without using feeder cells and creating spheroids. The company has also succeeded in inducing differentiation of skeletal muscle cells from these spheroids.

In order to utilize these spheroids as cultured meat in the future, the company plans to (1) improve the differentiation rate into skeletal muscle, and (2) improve BEEF cells using genome editing, etc., so that harmful substances are not produced within the cells when cells such as nerves are formed in addition to skeletal muscle. Regarding the medium for creating BEEF cell spheroids, it will be required to replace non-natural low molecular weight compounds such as inhibitors that cannot remain in food with polymers such as microbial proteins and peptides, so that they are broken down after eating.