Aleph Farms

The technology of the company, which was co-developed with Prof. Shulamit Levenberg from the Technion, is based on a process naturally occurring in cows to regrow and build muscle tissue.[6][7] The company isolates the cells responsible for this process and grows them in the same conditions as inside the cow, to form muscle tissue typical to steaks. [8][9][10]

Emerging from the field of regenerative medicine, cell samples are used to grow tissues and whole organs for transplanting into the human body. With cultivated meat, the samples are being used to grow fat and muscle tissues for food purposes.

The company developed a technique that enables different cell types to grow together; fat cells with cells from blood vessels, muscles and supporting cells. The cells are then grown on a scaffold, which is a supportive structure- allowing them to form three-dimensional muscle tissue.

In December 2018, Aleph Farms released its prototype, a steak grown directly from bovine cells.[11][12]

In May 2019, the company announced a US$12M funding round led by Vis Vires New Protein. Other investors includes Cargill and M-Industry (Industrial Group of Migros).[13] In November 2019, Aleph Farms indicated its current production costs of cultured beef were over 3000 US dollars per kilogram, hoping to reduce it enough to enter the market by 2023.[14] In April 2020, it reportedly wanted to start building its first pilot plant in 2021, expecting it to be operational and sells its first cultivated meat cuts to restaurants and food service outlets by the end of 2022.[15]

In order to grow the meat without the need for raising livestock, a small amount of cells is extracted from an animal through a small biopsy and is placed afterward in a broth of nutrients. The cells then multiply, differentiate and form the same tissue as inside the animal's body.

The company developed a technique that enables different cell types to grow together; fat cells with cells from blood vessels, muscles and supporting cells. The cells are then grown on a scaffold, which is a supportive structure - allowing them to form three-dimensional muscle tissue.

To mimic the natural environment and the 3D structure, cultivated meat companies and Aleph Farms in particular, use a scaffold which is required to achieve the appropriate characteristics that allow cell adhesion and subsequent proliferation and tissue development.[16][17]

The extent to which the biology of the muscle is replicated, determines the complexity of the tissue engineering process that must be utilised. A like-for-like piece of muscle (e.g. steaks) requires a system containing multiple cell types growing in an organized manner, as well as a structure that needs a replicated blood vessel network.[18]