The Eurecat technology centre is to harness new single-cell genomics technology to assess the health impact of a diet based on alternative protein sources and characterise cells from cultured meat to move towards precision nutrition as part of the OPTIPROT Cervera Network of Excellence, the network of omics technologies for innovation in optimal protein combinations for consumers.
Single-cell genomics is an omics approach used to investigate cellular heterogeneity and identify novel molecular features correlated with clinical outcomes. This method makes it possible to unravel the complexity of cell diversity one by one in a sample without loss of information as occurs when tissues are analysed globally.
Single-cell genomics has the potential to transform the way food is produced, selected and consumed in the future and thus help towards precision nutrition and global food sustainability, both of which are aspects that the AZTI-coordinated OPTIPROT Network is working on.
As part of the project, Eurecat is leveraging this technology to assess the health impact of a diet based on alternative protein sources in a clinical study with volunteers. Furthermore, single-cell technology will be used to characterise cells from cultured meat, a burgeoning technological breakthrough which is seen as an alternative to mitigate the meat industry’s environmental impact.
“The emerging applications of this technology include its ability to enhance our understanding of how nutrients and bioactive compounds affect cells in the human body at the genomic, i.e. DNA, level,” says Núria Canela, director of the Centre for Omic Sciences (COS) unit. “It makes a significant contribution to preparing and validating personalised diets anchored in genetic and metabolic profiles to maximise people’s health and wellbeing.”
Single-cell genomics in the food of the future
Under the OPTIPROT network, omics approaches integrated with analysis of traditional clinical and biochemical markers are to be developed to address group-specific precision nutrition. This approach will be underpinned by metabotyping, which consists of grouping individuals into metabolically homogeneous clusters to enable targeted dietary recommendations which enhance health.
Antoni Caimari, the director of Eurecat’s Biotechnology Area, points out that learning about the consumer at a metabolic level “might enable us to design product ranges aimed at tackling health conditions shared by consumers”.
“Single-cell genomics allows us to add to our understanding of health and disease from a much more detailed and precise perspective,” notes Helena Torrell, a researcher and head of Genomics in Eurecat’s Omic Sciences Unit. “This means it has numerous practical applications across various areas of biology and medicine such as oncology while there are also emerging and potential applications of this omics technology for precision food.”
Single-cell genomics technology
The Eurecat technology centre has set up a Chromium X (10X Genomics) instrument to prepare single-cell genomics sequencing libraries which makes it possible to measure the gene expression of each cell separately and thus get more detailed information, something which entails a revolution in our understanding of how the human body works.
The instrument will be operated by the Centre for Omic Sciences (COS), a joint Eurecat and Rovira i Virgili University unit, for the OPTIPROT project whose goal is to tap technology to innovate in the quest for optimal protein combinations for consumers.
OPTIPROT is financed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities – Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) and the European Union through Next Generation/Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan funding in the Cervera Network of Excellence grant programme.
