Qkine, a producer of growth factors for cultivated meat and cellular agriculture, has launched a new product range.
The new growth factors are animal-origin-free, food-grade, and subject to extensive quality analysis. They are produced using an efficient microbial fermentation process and provide proteins from agriculturally relevant species.
The growth factors have been designed to meet the needs of customers developing dossiers for submission to regulatory authorities or conducting R&D focused on cultivated meat, fish, fat, and dairy. They have been developed in response to indications from regulatory authorities that processes using human growth factors will soon be subject to greater scrutiny.
Qkine provides its customers with proactive support in novel food dossier preparation. The company is also collaborating with various partners on future growth factor manufacturing and scaleup innovations to help achieve price parity at scale.
“Platform for further innovation”
Qkine supports academic research in the cellular agriculture industry and is a strategic partner in various alternative protein research hubs across the UK, including the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at Imperial College London and the recently opened National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC).
Qkine was also one of eleven companies that helped to create the £12 million cellular agriculture manufacturing hub CARMA, and remains involved with the project.
“As the applications of stem cell science are rapidly expanding, it is increasingly important that suppliers are agile and respond rapidly to ensure the science can progress at speed and in parallel make our customers’ lives easier,” said Catherine Elton, CEO of Qkine. “The launch of highly pure food grade growth factors is part of our commitment to the long-term success of cell ag – future food security and more sustainable food production. These proteins provide a unique platform for further innovation as the industry scales.”
