Startup Develops New Insulin To Accelerate Cultivated Meat Growth

An Israeli startup is shortening the time it takes to develop large amounts of cultivated meat, by producing new kinds of insulin to spur the growth process.

Enzymit creates the form of insulin normally mass produced from the pig or cow pancreas, which is cheaper and helps grow animal cells more quickly.

The startup is partnering with Rehovot-based food technology company Aleph Farms to “dramatically” reduce the production time and costs of cultivated meat, which normally takes up to eight weeks to produce.

The companies say that the partnership has the potential to increase the production of other cultivated meats such as chicken, lamb and pork. 

Enzymit uses computer algorithms to create enzymes (the proteins that create a chemical reaction) and inputs desired traits. The algorithm then generates a new sequence that – when inserted into bacteria – turns them into insulin-producing “factories.” 

“Developing more suitable processing aids for the production of cultivated meat is imperative for driving economies of scale and taking cultivated meat mainstream,” said Dr. Neta Lavon, CTO of Aleph Farms.

“This innovation, combining Enzymit’s outstanding protein design and experimental capabilities with our team’s expertise in cellular agriculture, is helping to build the foundations for our sector to achieve cost-efficiency and long-term impact.”

Dr. Gideon Lapidoth, CEO of Enzymit, said: “Creating highly stable and more active insulin substituents can markedly reduce the cost of growth media and increase efficiency in producing cultivated meat at scale.”