Enzymit Partners with Aleph Farms to Reduce Production Costs and Shorten Time-to-Market for Cultivated Meat

Enzymit Employs AI and Deep Learning to Develop Novel Insulin Substituents as Processing Aids for Cost-Efficient Cultivated Meat Production

NESS ZIONA, Israel, May 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Enzymit, a bioproduction platform company developing enzymatic manufacturing technology, today announced the successful development of insulin substituents, in partnership with food technology company Aleph Farms, that can reduce the cost and development time for producing cultivated meat at scale.

One of the most prohibitive expenses in scaling up cultivated meat production is developing non-animal-derived serum protein mimetics that promote and support cell growth. Such proteins are not widely available in the current market at the quantity, quality and cost necessary for large-scale production. Aleph Farms turned to Enzymit to co-develop novel insulin substituents in microorganisms that can fulfill the function of proteins found naturally in animals and do so with greater desired activity per molecule.

"Developing more suitable processing aids for the production of cultivated meat is imperative for driving economies of scale and taking cultivated meat mainstream," said Neta Lavon, PhD, 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."

The success of this collaboration opens the door to additional benefits, far beyond the cultivation of cow cells. As insulin is a highly conserved protein across mammals and other species, it has the potential to similarly influence the production of other cultivated meat types, such as porcine, ovine and poultry.

"Aleph Farms has been an invaluable partner for this initiative, which can pave the way for more cost-efficient production of cultivated meat," said Gideon Lapidoth, PhD, CEO of Enzymit. "With recombinant proteins currently accounting for the overwhelming majority of cell culture costs, 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."

Utilizing its proprietary computational design algorithms and high-throughput testing capabilities, Enzymit was able to quickly develop a variety of insulin substituents and experimentally assess their functionality. All those selected were soluble proteins expressed in E. coli and purified without requiring refolding, complex purification steps, or other treatments. Further screening resulted in several leading candidates exhibiting superior results in activity for cell culturing and requiring minimal concentration for activation. These new proteins, which demand notably fewer downstream purification and maturation processes, dramatically reduce production time and costs.

About Enzymit

Enzymit is building a cell-free production platform that will make bioproduction faster, simpler, cost-effective, and sustainable. The company leverages complex computational design and deep learning algorithms to create novel enzymes for use in real-world settings. These highly stable and robust enzymes can withstand higher temperatures and work for longer than ever before to enable production of novel molecules in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Enzymit was founded in 2020 by experts in computational protein design, bioengineering, and molecular biology. The company is headquartered in Ness Ziona, Israel.

For more information, please visit: https://www.enzymit.com/

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About Aleph Farms

Aleph Farms is an Israel-based food technology company designing new ways to grow quality animal products that improve sustainability, food security and animal welfare in our food systems. Founded in 2017, the company utilized cellular agriculture technology to unveil the world's first cultivated thin-cut steak in 2018, the world's first cultivated ribeye steak in 2021, and cultivated collagen in 2022. Under its product brand, Aleph Cuts, the company will launch its first product, the Petit Steak, grown from the non-modified cells of a premium Angus cow. For its contributions to climate leadership including a net zero commitment made in 2020, it has received top accolades from the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.

For more information, follow Aleph Cuts on Instagram and Facebook, Aleph Farms on Twitter and LinkedIn, or visit www.aleph-farms.com.

Enzymit Media Contact
FINN Partners for Enzymit
Danny Sudwarts
[email protected]  
(+1) 469-297-2515

Aleph Farms Media Contact
Songue PR for Aleph Farms
Natalee Gibson
[email protected]

SOURCE Enzymit