Tokyo-based startup IntegriCulture is taking a unique approach to reducing the cost of cell culture media for cultivated meat production. Instead of trying to replace expensive components or use plant-based alternatives, IntegriCulture aims to mimic the natural process in the body where organs secrete growth factors that are circulated to other tissues via the bloodstream. The company’s CulNet system consists of a central tank containing cells that will be used to produce cultivated meat, and feeder tanks containing other cell types that secrete growth factors. IntegriCulture plans to offer B2B enterprise solutions, allowing partners to produce their own cell-cultured meat using their technology.
IntegriCulture CEO Dr. Yuki Hanyu emphasizes that the company is not just a cell cultured meat company, but a cellular agriculture infrastructure company. In addition to cultivated meat, IntegriCulture is generating revenues from the production of Cellament, a nutrient-rich serum for the cosmetics industry.
The origins of IntegriCulture can be traced back to the Shojinmeat Project, a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Hanyu and Dr. Ikko Kawashima. The project started as an open-source initiative focused on cultured meat and eventually led to the development of the CulNet system. Dr. Hanyu explains that their goal from the beginning was to create a lower cost system for cell culture media and then make performance improvements.
The feeder tanks in the CulNet system contain placental cells and liver cells. Placental cells are effective at producing a full range of serum components, while liver cells are good at producing components such as albumin. The feeder cells remain productive for an extended period of time, with recent results showing productivity for up to 70 days.
Scalability is a key consideration for any technology in the cultivated meat industry. Dr. Hanyu explains that IntegriCulture’s approach is mass producing cell culture serum, bypassing the expensive extraction and purification process required by other methods. The company’s benchmarking indicates that their approach is still much cheaper, as they are not only producing growth factors but also other components such as albumin and transferrin.
IntegriCulture’s business model involves providing different components like basal media or cell cultured serum, as well as the CulNet system unit. The company is also exploring a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) or contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) model.
IntegriCulture has made progress in forming partnerships with food companies interested in their technology. The CulNet Consortium brings together companies across the supply chain to address various challenges. IntegriCulture’s CulNet Pipeline service aims to equip clients with full-stack capability in cellular agriculture, starting with feasibility and ending with scaled production.
While IntegriCulture has been growing duck liver cells and chicken muscle cells for product development, their focus is on creating universally accessible infrastructure for the production of food, cosmetics, and other products. Due to funding limitations, their current production capacity is limited, but they aim to scale up in the future.
IntegriCulture’s innovative approach to reducing the cost of cell culture media could have significant implications for the cultivated meat industry. By mimicking the natural process of growth factor secretion, the company offers a scalable and cost-effective solution that could help drive the market traction of cultivated meat.