Australian cultivated meat start-up Magic Valley has signed a memorandum of understanding with simulation software company, Biocellion SPC, to research cellular behaviour in bioreactors. The goal is to improve bioreactor design and increase efficiency in the production of cultivated meat products.
Paul Bevan; head of innovation Dr Jacob Goodwin;
and head of R&D Professor Andrew Laslett.
Magic Valley founder and CEO Paul Bevan said the collaboration would build on the company’s commitment to revolutionising the way meat is produced, with a focus on sustainability and ethical practices.
“By collaborating with Biocellion, we aim to unlock valuable insights into cellular behaviour, enabling us to create delicious, cultivated meat products efficiently at scale,” Bevan said.
Magic Valley appeared on the cultivated meat market radar in September 2022, when it announced it had developed a cultivated lamb product – a world first – from a small skin biopsy off a lamb named Lucy. It released its pork prototype in March and beef is next on the menu.
Bevan said that global population and demand for animal protein forecasts for the next 30 years are evidence traditional food systems using intensive animal agriculture will not be able to meet demand.
The start-up takes a skin biopsy from a live animal then cultures the cells in a foetal bovine serum-free media to reprogram them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Then, in bioreactors, the cells characterise and differentiate into muscle and fat.
“The result is a real animal meat product, with no animals killed or animal products used except for the initial cell biopsy. It means cultivated meat has the potential to save the lives of the 70 billion animals slaughtered per year,” Bevan said.
The Good Food Institute has projected that a complete replacement of conventional meat with cultivated meat would result in a 92 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 95 per cent reduction in land use and a 78 per cent reduction in water use.
Meanwhile, US company Biocellion works with companies like Magic Valley to transition from laboratory experiments to virtual ones using its modelling, simulation, and visualisation software.
Biocellion CEO Simon Kahan said virtual experiments are computer simulations of living system behaviours, modelled cell by cell.
“These experiments are faster, cheaper, and less wasteful than laboratory experiments. Through using virtual experiments, customers can gain insight into how well their products work before testing them in Petri dishes, on animals or on humans.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Magic Valley using our advanced virtual experiments technology to accelerate the development of bioreactor designs and drive efficiency in cultivated meat production.
“Together, we are shaping a future where technology and biology converge to address global protein demands,” Kahan said.
In February, Biocellion joined the food tech portfolio of venture capital and accelerator firm Brinc, which is “strategically supporting” the MOU.
Brinc founder and CEO Manav Gupta said, “As a keen advocate of food technology innovation, Brinc proudly supports the collaboration between Magic Valley and Biocellion, which represents a significant step towards addressing the challenges of sustainable protein production. This partnership showcases the potential that interdisciplinary solutions can play to reshape the future of the food industry.”
