Octopus Muscle Cell Line for Cultivated Seafood

Background

Cultivated meat is a bioprocess-driven approach to producing meat and seafood from animal cell cultures. While most advancements have focused on cultivating muscle and fat from mammalian cells, there is growing interest in cultivated seafood to address issues such as overfishing, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. Octopus holds significant cultural and culinary value in European diets, particularly in southern regions like Portugal and Spain. Additionally, octopuses possess remarkable regenerative abilities, which could be highly beneficial for enhancing the proliferation and differentiation of cells in culture.

Aim

This project aims to explore the regenerative capabilities of octopus to develop a robust muscle cell line for cultivated octopus production.

Objectives

• Optimize protocols for isolating octopus muscle cells and enhancing their proliferation and differentiation in 2D, 3D and suspension culture.
• Establish a continuous and stable octopus muscle cell line.
• Characterize the mechanisms, markers, and cell populations involved in octopus muscle regeneration.
• Demonstrate a proof of concept for fabricating 3D muscle constructs using cell sheet technology.