Cell Based Tech Weekly – IntegriCulture Launches CulNet System, Cronos Cannabinoids Advancement, Moderna Update

Categories Weekly Report
source:integriculture

Japanese cell based meat and technology company, IntegriCulture announced the launch of their production platform: CulNet System. https://integriculture.jp/news/337/

Let me [try to] break it down for you 💃🏻:

  • IntegriCulture is looking to implement 1-5 year production/scale up partnerships with companies interested in developing a variety of cell based products including food, fur, supplements, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals based on a monthly R&D fee model. 

→ Currently, Japanese food conglomerate NH Foods (NipponHam) is working with IntegriCulture to culture bovine cells through this model. 

In the same announcement, IntegriCulture is seeking to build a “CulNet Consortium”. Wait, what does that mean? They’re calling on biotech industry partners to pay $37k/year to become a member and help expedite the development of the entire cellular agriculture supply chain including culture medium, bioreactor, bioprocess, quality management, and product processing. 

Inside the Technology: The CulNet System claims to enable the culture of animal cells of any type and species – terrestrial, aquatic and avian.

I give my best lengthy description of IntegriCulture’s CulNet technology at the end of the Weekly Report. 

Advancements

Cannabis company Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CRON) reported 2020 1st Quarter earnings on May 8th disclosing completion of successful fermentation of CBGA in a yeast strain engineered through a licensing partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks. 

Why We Care: CRON CEO, Mike Gorenstein noted three main benefits to this technology:

  1. More cost competitive derivative products which include non-dried-flower marijuana products, such as edibles, nonalcoholic infused beverages, vapes, topicals, and concentrates
  2. More consistent products on par with standards expected from traditional consumer packaged goods companies
  3. Capability to leverage rare cannabinoids to provide differentiated products

Commercialization Timeline: A September 2021 timeline was disclosed as being the target for commercializing a portfolio of cannabinoids through fermentation → prior to that time CRON will focus on optimizing scale up procedures and downstream processing. 

Bottom Line: The fermented cannabinoids are completely fungible to anything other than flowers with the above noted benefits enabling supply chain and product consistency. https://cellbased.link/985 

UPDATE

Last month, I reported on the Moderna ($MRNA) & Ginkgo collaboration on the development of a vaccine candidate for COVID-19. This week, Moderna received a fast track designation from the FDA allowing Moderna to proceed to a Phase 2 study beginning shortly with preparation for phase 3 early summer of 2020. 

REGULATION

Background: In November 2018, the FDA and USDA announced that they planned to jointly oversee the production of cell-cultured meat derived from livestock and poultry, and catfish:

  • FDA oversees cell collection and growth 
  • USDA oversees the later stages of production and labeling

Update: Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report reviewing federal oversight of cell based meat and provided recommendations to the FDA and USDA to incorporate leading practices for interagency collaboration. https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/706769.pdf

What this Means: The recommendations are an effort prompted by cell-cultured meat firms (specific firms undisclosed) to curb potential fragmentation or overlap in oversight of cell-cultured meat and prevent burdensome requirements that may create an uneven playing field with the conventional meat industry.

Back to IntegriCulture

IntegriCulture’s CulNet System is a bioreactor system that works by “co-culturing” cell types that have a biologically symbiotic relationship. https://cellbased.link/2ei 

  • Example: Avian muscle and fat cells in one bioreactor + organ cells in a separate bioreactor → bioreactors are connected to form a closed loop where culture medium circulates like the bloodstream and the cells work together to grow.

Culturing the desired cell type (muscle + fat) with organ cells mimics an animal’s own internal endocrine system by replicating the interaction between organ networks. This integrated system improves cell proliferation and cell density and removes the need to add serum or growth factors. 

MIND CELL CONTROL: CulNet enables the control of cells, by changing the combination of organ cells meaning the ability to enhance cell size and differentiation to desired cell types. 

FOOD GRADE MEDIUM ONLY: Cells in CulNet are able to proliferate and differentiate using cell culture mediums composed of substances already approved for use in food. 

BOTTOM LINE: This technology effectively removes the need for immortalized cells, iPSC, or growth factors… 

Here’s the PDF IntegriCulture published: https://integriculture.jp/assets/pdf/product/CulNet_en.pdf

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Thanks for reading! 
– Brooke Sunness