German bioengineering company The Cultivated B (TCB) announces a partnership with biotech and biomaterials company denovoMATRIX to explore the possibilities of cultivating meat on a large scale, economically, for commercial purposes.
The companies will conduct a joint feasibility study using microcarriers to overcome the limitations of growing cells in suspension. Their goal is to establish a pilot-scale cell manufacturing that can be adopted as a standard to cultivate meat at scale successfully.
Dr. Hamid Noori, CEO of The Cultivated B, comments, “This collaboration not only signifies a step forward in cell line technology but also reflects our mutual dedication to progressive innovation in the cultivated meat sector.”
B2B technology providers
The collaboration leverages the technical competencies of the two German B2B technology providers. denovoMATRIX will provide biomaterials and its expertise in cell biology and development to uncover new opportunities for cell growth and manufacturing with TCB’s cell lines and bioreactor setups.
TCB, part of InFamily Foods, uses cellular agriculture, precision fermentation, and new bioreactor technology approaches to drive the cultivated meat, food production, and personal care industries forward. Last year, the company opened a manufacturing and innovation hub in Toronto, Canada. The center features laboratory space, bioreactors, and mentorship, providing affordable access to expensive infrastructure.
Solutions for the cultivated meat space
Microcarriers will allow industrial-scale cell mass production and establish a controllable, consistent, repeatable pilot-phase process for manufacturing cell mass, explains TCB.
Through the collaboration, denovoMATRIX will contribute its microcarrier technology to test the proliferation of suspended cells in TCB’s bioreactors and cell mediums and its coating technology for functionalizing scaffolding, which enables a structured final cultivated meat product.
Once the feasibility study concludes and demonstrates productive outcomes, TCB intends to integrate denovoMATRIX technology into its cultivated meat process. Additionally, if the pilot-phase process is successful, it could be embraced by academic institutions studying cultivated meat, making it accessible for initiating pilot-scale cell manufacturing.
Dr. Dejan Hušman, CEO of denovoMATRIX, says, “Our alliance with The Cultivated B is a commitment to enabling existing as well as new players in the cultivated meat space. The outcome which we strive for is a turnkey solution for customers, composed of the expertise and technologies of our two companies.”
