US cultivated meat company UPSIDE Foods has recently launched a spinoff called Lucius Labs. As first reported by AgFunderNews, the new company will create cell culture media for the life sciences industry.
In a LinkedIn post, Bob Newman, Chief Scientific Officer at UPSIDE Foods, explained that the company had “developed deep expertise in cell culture media based on extensive work in cultivated meat”. Consequently, UPSIDE has decided to sell cell culture media into adjacent industries, which could help to bring in some revenue while the company continues to develop cultivated meat.
According to Newman, the cell culture media products will target human and animal health bioprocessing applications such as tissue engineering, cell therapy, gene therapy, and the production of organoids, viral vectors, vaccines, and antibodies.
On its website, Lucius Labs lists a variety of classical media formulations, buffers, and stem cell formulations. The company also says it can produce custom formulas in as little as two to four weeks.
“Massive potential for life-saving technologies”
Last year, UPSIDE Foods reduced its workforce, citing a strategic restructuring aimed at improving operational efficiency. This followed similar cuts in 2024, indicating ongoing financial pressures for the company. UPSIDE also paused the construction of its large-scale facility in Illinois in 2024, opting instead to scale operations at its existing EPIC facility in Emeryville, California.
The cultivated meat industry faces ongoing challenges in the US due to bans that have come into force in several states, some of which UPSIDE Foods is attempting to challenge in court. This may also have contributed to the company’s decision to expand into adjacent industries.
“It’s no secret that the legacy approach to cell culture media is outdated, inefficient, and expensive,” said Newman. “Bringing together an expert team to reinvent media development solved for huge barriers. Our significant benefits in cost and custom formula turnaround time – without any drawbacks to performance – unlock massive potential for life-saving technologies. We’re setting the new standard in media.”
