MEAT-FREE SAUSAGES ON MENU AS OXFORD COMPANY RAISES FUNDS TO DEVELOP CULTURED MEAT

Ivy Farm, an Oxford University spin-out launched in 2019 is looking to be the first commercial producer of sustainable, cultured meat in the UK, producing sustainable sausages by 2023, followed by meatballs and beefburgers.

The company has launched a £16 million fund-raising programme to build a pilot research and development facility as the first step towards producing 12,000 tonnes of cultured pork a year by 2025.

It is estimated that the meat and dairy industry accounts for 18 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, greater than all the world’s transportation systems combined, according to Ivy Farm.

Yet demand for meat is predicted to rise by another 70 per cent as the world population grows to almost 10 billion by 2050. Many think that the demand on traditional meat production would drastically accelerate deforestation.

Ivy Farm co-founder, Russ Tucker, said: “Already nearly half the worldwide harvest is required to feed livestock and that’s only going to go up. Cultured meat is the silver bullet – through new technology we can provide real, high-quality meat while saving the planet.”

Russ first came across the challenges of efficiency and sustainability in the meat industry while he was working as a management consultant. Hailing from generations of farmers and butchers on both sides of his family, Russ nevertheless returned to Oxford University, where he had first gained his degree, and began working with a team on the company’s novel biotechnology.

Ivy (which stands for in vitro), Farm’s non-GMO production process uses technology developed at Oxford University, in the same building that developed the Covid-19 vaccine.

A small number of cells are taken from an animal and placed in a bioreactor. The cells are exposed to a perfect mix of vitamins and nutrients so they replicate and produce meat in as little as threeto-four weeks. The system is continuous – so muscle and fat can be harvested

Cell-freezing market to be transformed by spin-out technology

A University of Warwick spin-out company has secured investment from Oxford Technology Management and other private investors, alongside being awarded £300,000 from Innovate UK.

The funding will allow CryoLogyx to build on the development of new cryoprotectants which allow more cells to survive the freezing process and to replace the organic solvents.

In order to store and transport cells for research, or as advanced medicines, they must be frozen because they are not stable at room temperature for long periods.

The traditional solution to this was to add organic solvent ‘antifreezes’, similar to those used in a car.

without disturbing cells growing underneath.

Ivy Farm believes its technology is a game changer because of a unique “scaffold” system where the cells grow.

The company is already in discussions with the Food Standards Agency, which will have to approve cultured meat before it can go on sale in the UK.

Rich Dillon, Ivy Farm’s chief executive, said the company will also talk to regulators in other parts of the world.

In December, Singapore became the first country in the world to approve cultured meat for sale.

Rich said: “Make no mistake, cultured meat is here to stay. It’s a compelling proposition – real meat, guilt-free.”

In the short-term the company is focussed on licensing its biotechnology to other businesses, but in the longer term it will develop its own brand of cultivated meat products.

CryoLogyx will use its technology to transform emerging, advanced, cell-based therapies, simplify the medicines development process, and aid supply chains.

Dr Thomas Congdon, co-founder and chief executive of CryoLogyx said: “We are delighted to have been awarded Innovate UK funding to commercialise our research and begin delivering real value and innovation to the cell research and therapy sector. Effective commercial cryopreservation solutions are imperative for the discovery and deployment of new medicines.”

Dr James Lapworth of Warwick Innovations, who is working with Professor Gibson to commercialise the technology, added: “This award from Innovate UK recognises the potential for Warwick’s new cryopreservation technology to have a significant impact on the medicines discovery and cell therapy industries, both of which have been identified by the UK government as priority areas for economic growth.”