Landscape

There are two types of stem cells:

1. Mature Stem Cells

- Other Given Names: Adult Cells, Somatic Cells, Multipotent Cells

Obtained from body tissues, post-birth umbilical cords and placentas.

Mature stem cells can only yield cells from the same tissue type of which they originated. For example, a lung stem cell can only yield a lung stem cell and cannot yield a neural stem cell; this means they are multipotent.

2. Early Stem Cells

- Other Given Names: Embryonic, Pluripotent

Obtained from pre-embryos created by the in vitro fertilization process.

Early stem cells can yield cells for any tissue type. For example, an early stem cell can yield a lung stem cell or a neural stem cell: this means they are pluripotent.

Pluripotent stem cells have much greater potential than multipotent stem cells in cell based therapy applications because they can give rise to almost any tissue cell type in our body. However, it is difficult to obtain these pluripotent stem cells because they are only available in embryos. This brings us to 2006 when scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered four specific genes encoding transcription factors which could convert adult cells (multipotent) into pluripotent stem cells. This technique, labeled ‘induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)’, won Professor Shinya Yamanaka along with Cambridge’s Sir John Gurdon a Nobel Prize in 2012.

Fast forward to 2017, Dr. Mark Kotter, researcher at The Cambridge Department of Clinical Neurosciences published a research paper entitled “Inducible and deterministic forward programming of human pluripotent stem cells”. The paper outlines the discovery of a proprietary technology, OPTi-OX. The process starts with an induced pluripotent stem cell which is engineered for a specific cell type and then reprogramed to an adult stem cell The result: consistent and homogeneous cell batches produced in a matter of days. 

mature stem cell ☞ iPSC ☞ r e p r o g r a m ☞ mature stem cell

How does this relate to cell based meat production?

Dr. Kotter is now working with Meatable, a Netherlands-based company that produces cell-based meat. The OPTi-OX technology has been licensed to Meatable through Cambridge Enterprise, the University of Cambridge’s tech-transfer arm (via Kotter’s spin-out company Elpis BioMed). Meatable says they will use OPTi-OX to convert pluripotent cells into bovine muscle and fat cells significantly faster then they could without it.

Read the full interview at University of Cambridge Here!

How is GMO Fish different from Cell Based Fish? To understand the differences, lets compare two types of fish:

1. AquAdvantage Salmon (produced by AquaBounty Technologies)

🐠🧬 →   🐟 →  RAS FACILITY  →  🍣

AquAdvantage salmon is an Atlantic salmon that is genetically modified to grow twice as fast as the non-genetically modified Atlantic salmon. This is done by inserting a growth hormone gene from a Chinook salmon into a fertilized Atlantic salmon egg. By integrating this Chinook growth hormone gene into the genome of an Atlantic salmon, AquaBounty Technologies reduces the time to market from three years to 18 months. The fish are raised in a land-based recirculating aquaculture systems, RAS for short, which are indoor fish tanks in warehouses.

2. Finless Foods Bluefin Tuna

🐠 →  🧫 →  SCAFFOLD  →  CELL CULTURE MEDIA  →   🍣

Cell based tuna is grown using a tissue biopsy of cells from a single Bluefin tuna. The cells are placed inside a flask (petri dish) with a scaffold (supportive structure) and a cell culture media (food). Inside these flasks, the cells multiply and form strands of muscle tissue.

The main differences are: 

Growth Process: The GMO fish are grown in a recirculating aquaculture system which resembles the environment the fish are grown in conventional fish farming - there is water and fish food. The cell based fish are grown inside of a petri dish with cell culture media rather than fish food.

In Sum: GMO fish are still growing fish, whilst cell based fish are growing fish cell tissue. Cell based fish food (cell culture media) and cell lines could be genetically engineered, but we will not know for sure until cell based food processes are finalized.

🇺🇸 USA | ~ $1.18 billion

With more than a dozen companies working on cellular and acellular food production, and over $80 million invested in the space, US venture capitalists are recognizing the fiscal opportunities and societal importance of cell based food production. The USDA and FDA are taking measures to determine the regulatory structure for which cell based meat will be governed, in preparation for these products to come to market within the next 2 years.

🇮🇱 ISRAEL | $11.9 million

Israeli biotech firms and venture capital incubators are laying the foundation for a strong cell based meat production export economy.  One notable Israeli company, Future Meat Technologies has received $2.2 million in a seed investment round co-led by Tyson Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods, Inc. Additionally, China has signed a trade agreement with Israel worth $300 million to import cell based meat made by companies SuperMeat and Future Meat Technologies. Lastly, the Israel Innovation Authority, an independent publicly funded agency, is fueling cell based innovation by providing infrastructure, and access to international capital. 

🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS | ~ $16.3 million

Netherlands has four companies producing cell based meat. Meatable and Mosa Meat are the most significant. Mosa Meat is known for creating the world’s first lab grown meat burger in 2013. Since then, Mosa Meat has received some noteworthy investments from major tech moguls, including an $8 million investment from Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin. Meatable is also another hot company and are licensing a proprietary technology to produce cell based meats with induced pluripotent stem cells. Read More about that here.

🇨🇦 CANADA | ~ $1 million

Canada has one company working on cell based meat, Appleton Farms, and one company working on cell based fish, Seafuture. The Canadian government is closely monitoring and waiting to see how the regulations evolve in the United States. Canada will likely follow the regulatory framework that the United States develops for these products.

🇯🇵 JAPAN | ~ $2.7 million

Japan currently has one company pursuing cell based meat production: Intergriculture. The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Fund Corporation for Innovation, Value-chain and Expansion Japan is a Japanese government fund, and an investor in Intergriculture -- demonstrating the country’s interest in progressing cellular meat production within the country. With the rising price of Waygu beef, and the heavy reliance on agricultural imports, Japan is seriously considering cell based tech as a viable long term food production process.

🇸🇬 SINGAPORE | ~ $1 million

Singapore has one company working on cell based seafood, Shiok Meats. Asia’s leading agribusiness group, Wilmar International, based in Singapore has expressed the importance food tech advancements that address the reformulating of food production and processing.

🇨🇳 CHINA | ~ $1 million

China has one company working on development of cell based meat, Avant Meats. Chinese government officials and venture capital groups are working diligently to ensure cell based meat hits the plates of Chinese consumers. China has already signed a $300 million trade deal with Israel to import cell based meats. Dao Foods International, a cross-border impact venture capital company, co-founded by Albert Tseng, is primarily focused on introducing plant-based and clean meat in China. 

🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOMS | ~ $1 million

The United Kingdom has one company pursuing cell based meat, Higher Steaks. The UK regulatory bodies have been quiet regarding labeling of these new products. 

🇹🇷 TURKEY | ~ $500,000

Turkey has one company pursuing cell based meat technology, Biftek. 

The cell based food landscape can be broken down into two segments:

Acellular: acellular production includes the synthesis of proteins such as eggs, gelatin, and milk. Acellular production begins with a DNA sequence that is inserted into yeast and creates fermentation, subsequently yielding new cells. The new cells are genetically identical to the DNA of the starting material.

🧬 →  YEAST  →  FERMENTATION  →  🥛

Cellular: cellular production includes the synthesis of animal meat & fish. There are currently two processes to produce cell based meat. 

Process 1: 🐄  →   🧫  →  SCAFFOLD  →  SERUM  →  🍔

This process begins with cells obtained from a tissue biopsy of an animal from a particular species. The cells are placed inside a flask (petri dish) with a scaffold (supportive structure) and a nutrient dense serum (food). Inside these flasks, the cells multiply and form strands of muscle tissue.

This method of cellular agriculture faces some particular challenges in scalability:

💰Too Expensive: fetal bovine serum, the current “food” available on the market is too expensive.

⏱Too Slow: it current takes 20,000 strands of muscle fiber to form a burger, which takes up to 3 months.

🧫Too Small: the cellular growth process takes place inside a single flask, which is not suitable for industrial production.

Process 2: 🐮  →   🧫  →  SCAFFOLD  → IPSC  →  OPTi-OX → 🍔

This process begins with stem cells obtained from a calf umbilical cord. The cells are placed inside a flask (petri dish) with a scaffold (supportive structure) and transcribed into induced pluripotent stem cells. Using proprietary technology (OPTi-OX), the stem cells convert into bovine muscle and fat tissue. Using electrical stimulation, the bovine muscle cells are contracted (exercised) to grow.

This method of cellular agriculture is described to be superior in time and cost efficiency.