Glenn R. Gaudette, Ph.D.

Spinach, a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly scaffold, provided an edible platform upon which a team of researchers led by a Boston College engineer has grown meat cells, an advance that may accelerate the development of cultured meat, according to a new report in the advance online edition of the journal Food BioScience.

Stripped of all but its veiny skeleton, the circulatory network of a spinach leaf successfully served as an edible substrate upon which the researchers grew bovine animal protein, said Boston College Professor of Engineering Glenn Gaudette, the lead author of the new study. The results may help increase the production of cellular agriculture products to meet rising demand and reduce environmental costs.

“Cellular agriculture has the potential to produce meat that replicates the structure of traditionally grown meat while minimizing the land and water requirements,” said Gaudette, the inaugural chair of BC’s new Engineering Department. “We demonstrate that decellularizing spinach leaves can be used as an edible scaffold to grow bovine muscle cells as they develop into meat… Continue reading.

Glenn Gaudette, a biomedical engineer who has pioneered the use of plants as scaffolding for heart regeneration, has been named the inaugural chair of Boston College’s new Engineering Department, which will integrate BC’s liberal arts focus with a human-centered engineering curriculum to prepare students to find solutions that address critical human needs.

Gaudette is the William Smith Dean’s Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the executive director of the Value Creation Initiative at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he has taught since 2004. His research, supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, aims to develop a treatment for the millions of Americans suffering from myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases. His work is also focused on the cultivation of protein products as sustainable food sources with reduced environmental impact… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Glenn R. Gaudette, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, to its College of Fellows. Dr. Gaudette was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for outstanding accomplishments in developing and assessing tissue engineering scaffolds for cardiovascular therapy, and for developing innovative technology training methods.