Differentiation of porcine iPS cells (Sus domesticus) and embryoid bodies derived from them into osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic cells

• Grant number: 23/00480-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Fabiana Fernandes Bressan
• Grantee: Octavio Bignardi da Silva Nunes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Induced pluripotency cells (iPSC) have the ability to differentiate into a large number of cellsand to constitute a wide variety of tissues in both human and animal bodies. This ability todifferentiate cells allows them to be used in various economic, industrial and cutting-edgeresearch sectors, such as regenerative medicine and in vitro meat production for the foodindustry. Such studies allows Brazil to participate in an industrial vanguard of cutting-edgetechnology, growing in recent years, capable of generating strong economic and social impactthroughout the country, as well as allows Brazil to adapt to various environmental laws andprotocols, both national and international, of which the country is signatory, due to the lowerenvironmental impact of the industrial production of in vitro meat, when compared to thecurrent livestock model, which is notoriously known for leading to increased deforestationand pollution. In this context, this work aims to show that induced pluripotency cells alreadycharacterized and published can differentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogeniccells, which can be used for the aforementioned industrial purposes. For this purpose, theiPSC cells already characterized and published will be tested for the presence of mycoplasmasand treated in the event of these. Subsequently, embryoid bodies will be formed anddissociated to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic cells and, later,analyzed for the occurrence of cell differentiation, which is expected to occur in the threementioned cell types.