Friday, 10 May 2024, Bengaluru, India
Profuse Technology is an Israeli startup that cultivates meat from cells. Recently, this startup has received €2.4 Million from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition program as a step towards its innovative technology. European Union granted €2.4 Million to the startup after a selection process where hundreds of applicants were available. Profuse introduced a new cultivated meat made from cells of bovine muscle tissue earlier this year called PROFUSE-B8. Here, we are talking about EU grants €2.4 million to an Israeli startup, Profuse Technology.
The startup is currently working on developing cultivated meat from different animal tissues, including chicken, fish, and lamb. Profuse mentioned that this investment will allow them to scale up their device, infrastructure, and advanced technology and move ahead with approval processes. This will help them advance their partnership with other companies in the industry.
Dr. Tamar Eigler Hirsh, the Co-Founder and CTO of this startup, mentioned that by including media supplements and muscle cell lines, the company would enable cost reduction in cultivated meat production while maintaining its nutritional value, texture, and taste. This €2.4 million will help Profuse Technology upgrade and refine its technology to support large-scale production. This Israeli startup is located in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, which has become the hub for various food tech startups in recent years.
Profuse mentioned that the €2.4m grant will be used to get regulatory approval for its small molecule-based cocktail that catalyzes muscle tissue growth for cultivated meat production. The technology used by Profuse in supplements is based on 6 years of research led by Dr. Tamar Eigler Hirsh. The study was carried out at the Weizmann Institute of Science and resulted in understanding how the body regenerates or repairs tissues and muscles. The startup then developed technology to grow cultivated meat in the lab faster.
The Startup uses the animal’s ability to grow muscle tissue continuously. They find the stem cells responsible for this growth and create perfect conditions for them to grow in bioreactors. These bioreactors work like fermenters in a brewery. The cells grow into tissue and are shaped into 3-D structures, like chicken nuggets. These products taste and look like real meat but are made without harming animals. Co-founder and CTO of Profuse, Dr. Tamar Eigler Hish, emphasized the importance of this investment in advancing technology for cost-effective cultivated meat production without compromising nutritional value or taste.
Conclusion
Profuse Technology is an Israeli startup specializing in cultivated meat production. This startup has recently secured a significant €2.4 million grant from the European Union’s Innovation Council. This funding will enable the company to advance its technology, scale production, and expand its partnerships within the industry. Led by Dr. Tamar Eigler Hish, the startup aims to revolutionize meat production by leveraging innovative approaches and leveraging years of research expertise. Focusing on sustainability and animal welfare, it aimed to significantly impact the food tech industry by offering meat alternatives that taste and look just like real meat but are made without harming animals.
