UK Firms Receive Almost £500,000 Government Grant for Cultivated Meat Project
The research company Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and two Newcastle University spinoffs, MarraBio and Aelius Biotech, have been awarded an almost £500,000 grant by Innovate UK for a cultivated meat project. With the grant, the organizations will leverage their expertise and capabilities to develop a low-emission, cost-effective method for producing cultivated meat. The project will further research engineered protein materials developed by MarraBio to replace expensive reagents currently used in large-scale cell-based meat biomanufacturing. Food safe bacterial polymers MarraBio develops alternative bacterial protein polymers that help cells grow, divide, and behave normally. These proteins are made with multifunctional, low-cost raw materials, significantly reducing costs. However, to use these polymers for food production, the manufacturing process must be modified to meet food regulations. As explained by …