Japanese Scientists Develop Sunlight-Powered Hybrid Animal Cells for Future Meat and Organ Growth
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have achieved a groundbreaking feat by creating animal cells that function like plants, converting sunlight into energy.
In a bold experiment, the team embedded chloroplasts—structures found in plant cells that enable photosynthesis—within animal cells. This advancement could bring transformative benefits to lab-grown meats and artificial organ development.
The hybrid cells were developed by inserting chloroplasts from red algae into cultured hamster cells. These chloroplasts continued performing photosynthesis within the animal cells, a process that surprised the researchers.
“As far as we know, this is the first reported detection of photosynthetic electron transport in chloroplasts implanted in animal cells,” stated Professor Sachihiro Matsunaga, who led the study.
He further added, “We thought that the chloroplasts would be digested by the animal cells within hours after being introduced. However, what we found was that they continued to function for up to two days.”
This successful integration opens up unique possibilities for bioengineering. When exposed to specific light, the chloroplasts inside the hamster cells emitted chlorophyll’s natural fluorescence, confirming their presence and functionality.
The team used a method called pulse amplitude modulation fluorometry to validate that photosynthesis was active within these hybrid cells. In this setup, the chloroplasts “continued to perform photosynthetic functions for at least two days.”
An intriguing observation was that these modified cells exhibited accelerated growth when cultured alongside chloroplasts. This, according to Matsunaga, points to a new source of carbon within the cells that could address a critical hurdle in tissue engineering.
He noted that integrating chloroplasts could “improve the conditions inside the tissue to enable growth,” particularly by supplying oxygen to cells in tightly packed lab-grown tissues.
This research, which paves the way for self-sustaining lab-grown tissues, appears in the Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B.
Scientists envision future applications in the growth of artificial meat and organs, where sunlight-powered cells could solve oxygen limitations, enhancing the feasibility and quality of bioengineered products.
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