Engineered autocrine signaling eliminates muscle cell FGF2 requirements for cultured meat production

Cultivated meat (also known as cultured meat) is a promising technology that faces substantial cost barriers, which are currently driven by the price of media components. Particularly, growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) drive the cost of serum-free media for relevant cells, including muscle satellite cells. Here, we engineered immortalized bovine satellite cells (iBSCs) for inducible expression of FGF2 and/or mutant RasG12V to overcome media growth factor requirements through autocrine signaling. Engineered cells were able to proliferate over multiple passages in FGF2-free medium, thereby eliminating the need for this costly component. Additionally, cells maintained their myogenicity, albeit with reduced myotube formation. Ultimately, this offers a proof of principle for lower-cost cultured meat production through cell line engineering.