The Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Magdeburg is collaborating with startup Innocent Meat to apply its expertise in bioprocess engineering to the cultivated meat sector. The project, titled “Cellular Agriculture and Process Intensification,” aims to scale up cell cultivation from laboratory to industrial levels by utilizing high-cell-density perfusion culture techniques commonly used in pharmaceutical manufacturing and vaccine production.

The collaboration involves taking Innocent Meat’s cell lines and early-stage processes and running them through the institute’s reactor systems to identify inefficiencies and increase cell yields. With funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the project supports the country’s efforts to lead in cellular agriculture research. The initiative not only benefits the cultivated meat sector but also allows the research team to expand its expertise into food biotechnology more broadly, paving the way for future advancements in various cell types, products, and biotechnological applications.