ORF Genetics Scales Growth Factor Production to Support the Cultivated Meat Industry

By Agroempresario.com

Icelandic molecular farming company ORF Genetics is accelerating its production of growth factors for cultivated meat, signaling a major step forward for the alternative protein industry. After securing €5 million ($5.9 million) from undisclosed investors, ORF Genetics aims to scale up its MESOkine growth factor line, ensuring cultivated meat producers have reliable and cost-effective inputs.

Berglind Rán Ólafsdóttir, CEO of ORF Genetics, emphasized that the question is not if the cultivated meat market will grow, but when and how quickly. “For our growth factors, we don’t need hundreds of companies to succeed; just a few reaching commercial scale will drive strong demand,” she stated.

Currently, ORF Genetics supplies growth factors to companies such as Vow, an Australian cultivated meat startup, and is in discussions with multiple firms worldwide. Ólafsdóttir noted that many cultivated meat ventures are performing well and developing advanced technical platforms. The company plans to expand the current funding round by the end of October, aiming to raise up to €7 million ($8.2 million).

The Role of Growth Factors in Cultivated Meat

Growth factors are signaling proteins used in cell culture media to stimulate cell growth and differentiation in cultivated meat production. While some companies have optimized cell lines to use fewer growth factors, ORF Genetics maintains that relying on scalable and affordable MESOkine growth factors is more efficient and cost-effective. “Our roadmap focuses on scaling volume and reducing price so producers don’t worry about supply or cost,” said Ólafsdóttir.

The new funds will allow ORF Genetics to increase MESOkine production 14-fold by 2027 and 10,000-fold by 2032, ensuring the industry has sufficient supply for commercial expansion.

Molecular Farming and Barley Production

Founded in 2001 by Dr. Björn Örvar, Dr. Einar Mäntylä, and Dr. Júlíus Kristinsson, ORF Genetics initially focused on human growth factors for stem cell research with its ISOkine line. The company then expanded into cosmetics with DERMOkine, producing human growth factors like EGF for BIOEFFECT skincare.

Animal growth factors for cultivated meat were a natural next step. MESOkine currently offers bovine, avian, and porcine growth factors, with fish growth factors in development. ORF Genetics’ portfolio now includes around twenty different growth factors, with plans for further expansion.

Unlike traditional precision fermentation using engineered microbes in expensive steel tanks, ORF Genetics grows barley hydroponically in greenhouses powered by cheap geothermal energy. The company also conducts open-field trials in Canada, highlighting barley as a safe, self-contained, and scalable production host. Ólafsdóttir explains, “Our protein factory is simply the barley seed, which is inexpensive and highly scalable.”

Downstream processing is also cheaper because MESOkine growth factors do not need to be highly purified for use in cultivated meat production. Native barley proteins remain alongside recombinant proteins, providing safe and efficient inputs.

Regulatory Approvals and Market Strategy

ORF Genetics emphasizes regulatory compliance. MESOkine growth factors have passed approvals in multiple countries, with the company’s quality team assisting clients in navigating regulatory processes. Ólafsdóttir noted that regulators typically focus on residual growth factor levels in the final product, comparing them with conventional meat.

The company sees a global growth opportunity in cultivated meat, with ORF Genetics positioned as a key supplier. “The question is not if this market will grow, but when,” Ólafsdóttir reiterated, underlining the strategic timing of scaling MESOkine production to match industry needs.

Future Outlook

ORF Genetics’ expansion supports a broader vision of molecular farming, sustainable protein production, and alternative food systems. By offering cost-effective growth factors at scale, the company enables cultivated meat producers to focus resources on critical bottlenecks, such as cell line optimization, production efficiency, and product innovation.

With the current funding round and production scaling plans, ORF Genetics aims to secure its position as a leading supplier in the cultivated meat ecosystem, contributing to the growth of the global alternative protein market.