ORF Genetics raise US$7.8M as it scales cultivated meat proteins
The company has received US$5.8M in a new funding round involving both existing and new investors, with the capital set aside for scaling its molecular farming platform.
ICELAND – Icelandic biotechnology firm ORF Genetics is securing fresh investment to expand production of proteins used in cultivated meat.
The company has received US$5.8M in a new funding round involving both existing and new investors, with the capital set aside for scaling its molecular farming platform.
Chief executive Berglind Rán Ólafsdóttir said the funding comes at a critical stage, noting that the business is preparing for increasing commercial opportunities in the alternative protein industry.
Barley-based growth factors
ORF Genetics has built its protein production process around a plant-based expression system called Orfeus, which uses barley as the host crop.
Instead of relying on microbes or animal cells, the method involves cloning animal protein genes into an engineered vector known as GrainVec, which is then introduced into barley embryos.
Through a series of controlled growth stages, these embryos are cultivated into bioengineered plants that can be harvested for the desired proteins.
The highest-yielding barley lines are identified and expanded, forming the basis of the company’s recombinant protein supply chain.
This system has enabled the development of Mesokine, ORF’s portfolio of growth factors tailored for cultivated meat.
Each Mesokine product contains animal-derived growth factors from species including cattle, pigs, poultry and fish, combined with selected barley proteins to improve stability and activity.
Expanding commercial reach
Mesokine is already in use among several cultivated meat startups, including Australia-based Vow, which relies on the proteins for its cultured quail served in Singapore and Australia.
In South Korea, seafood startup SeaWith is using Mesokine in its cultivated shellfish, with a regulatory submission pending ahead of a potential launch later this year.
The two companies showcased their collaboration during a public tasting in Reykjavik earlier this year, attended by government representatives.
ORF Genetics now aims to increase Mesokine production capacity fourteenfold by 2027, with a long-term target of a 10,000-fold expansion by 2032.
To support these plans, the company is extending the current funding round to US$7.8M and is seeking further investor participation by the end of October.
ORF Genetics is one of several molecular farming ventures pursuing alternative protein development, alongside companies such as Moolec Science, Alpine Bio, PoLoPo, Miruku and Bright Biotech.
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