Researchers at the University of Helsinki’s Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) have developed a method to produce cultivated meat that does not rely on growth factors.

“All companies run into problems at roughly the same point of scaling up production,” said professor Pekka Katajisto of the University of Helsinki’s HiLIFE.

Katajisto and his colleagues hope to solve the problem of scaling-up cell-based meat – namely expensive growth factors – with the new tech they are developing in their Myocopia project.

Currently, cultivated meat relies on growth factors to make the cells grow and differentiate – the Myocopia team takes another approach and controls the same processes by affecting cellular metabolism.

“I believe our innovation is going to be a game changer in the emerging industry as a whole,” Katajisto continued.

The new technology originated from Katajisto’s laboratory, which is connected to the Centre of Excellence in Stem Cell Metabolism (MetaStem). MetaStem researchers have studied how cellular metabolism regulates the division and differentiation of stem cells. Their basic research on the metabolism of muscle stem cells led to an innovation that can keep the cells expanding longer than with current methods. This enables the precise control of cells in meat-producing bioreactors.

“The cells can be kept multiplying in a financially viable way until the reactor is full. The cells are then guided to form meat – again using their own metabolism,” Katajisto added.

With the technology developed by Myocopia, the metabolism of cells can be modified so that they divide effectively and form meat only when instructed to do so. The researchers expect this to facilitate the large-scale production of cell-based meat, in turn making cultivated meat products affordable for consumers.

The researchers first tested their idea with HiLIFE Proof of Concept funding. After achieving promising results, in late 2023 the team received two-year Research to Business funding from Business Finland to prepare for commercialisation.

“We want to increase our understanding of the market and finetune our technology,” said university researcher Swetha Gopalakrishnan, who made the original observation leading to the innovation and is the scientific lead of the Myocopia project.

Olga Balakina, the commercialisation specialist for the Myocopia project, said: “Our top priority is to identify the companies with which we can launch a pilot”.

During the ‘Research to Business’ project, the technology will be validated in commercially viable species, such as beef, pork and chicken.

Patenting of the technology has begun, and the Myocopia researchers expect discussions with VC funds to take place in 2025.

Myocopia itself is not aiming to become a meat-producing company but a tech enabler for the industry. In practice, the final product could be a ‘cocktail’ stimulating cell growth. It could be effectively used in existing bioreactors, which would help the 150 companies active in the industry to bring cell-based meat products to consumers across the world.

The goal is to establish a spinout company in the next two years to license the proprietary technology to companies producing cell-based meat.

#Finland #Myocopia