Pre-clinical trials are under way at the University of Queensland, using algae to help grow muscle tissue cells burns patients.

Dr. Melanie Oey and her team at the University of Queensland’s Institute of Molecular Bioscience have discovered that algae can significantly speed up cell growth while being much less expensive than existing techniques.

The current process of growing new cells currently takes several weeks.

The new method was inspired by Oey’s love of diving and watching coral and algae in nature.

Oey has spent four years on the project, which could mean a shorter stay in hospital and less risk of infection.

“Our work shows muscle cells co-cultivated with the algae grow faster, live longer and require fewer expensive additives,” Oey said.

“The algae act like tiny life-support systems that can solve multiple problems at once.”

According to the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 5550 Australians were hospitalised due to burns between 2021 and 2022.

The method also has the potential to benefit other applications such as growing cultivated meat more affordably.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has recently given the green light for the sale of lab-grown or cell-cultured meat, which is produced by growing or multiplying individual animal cells. However, the high costs continue to be a significant challenge.

“The growing population requires more protein, but it’s the most expensive macronutrient, and animal farming is also a climate concern,” Oey said.

“But growing meat in the lab is expensive largely due to the nutrients and oxygen the cells need and the waste they produce.

“Our research could make cultivated meat a sustainable, affordable, ethically acceptable alternative protein source.”