MarraBio and Aelius Biotech
Creating affordable, animal-free Food Processing Aids for production of cultivated meat
The challenge
Cultivated meat offers a promising alternative to traditional meat production, with the potential to cut food-related greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%. Yet commercialisation remains constrained by the reliance on growth factors – proteins that are costly to produce and difficult to work with.
MarraBio, a Newcastle-based spin-out, is tackling this with a novel protein originally developed at Newcastle University. Caf1 is a long, flexible polymeric protein engineered to mimic the functions of conventional bioactive proteins such as growth factors. It can be produced at a significantly lower cost, shows greater potency than traditional growth factors used in cultivating meat, and offers additional advantages: high thermal stability, bioinertness, and low cell adhesion. These characteristics also open the door to wider applications for Caf1 across the life sciences sector.
To bring Caf1 closer to food-grade readiness, MarraBio partnered with CPI and Aelius Biotech, supported by Innovate UK funding. Together, the team set out to improve protein purity, demonstrate safety, and assess regulatory suitability – generating critical data to underpin Caf1’s use in novel food products.
““CPI’s analysis significantly improved our understanding of the protein; it’s properties and our bioprocessing. The data gave us a clear path to food-grade production and Aelius’ unique digestion model was crucial to demonstrating that Caf1 is degraded during digestion.””
How CPI helped
- Developed and applied over 11 analytical methods to assess protein purity and length.
- Determined product impurity levels including endotoxins, host cell proteins, and residual DNA – to qualify downstream process improvements.
- Supported improvements to purification across two separate production processes.
- Delivered a 52-page HACCP assessment for future food-grade manufacturing.
- Provided regulatory guidance on classification of Caf1 as a food processing aid.
- Provided early-stage investment through CPI Enterprises, alongside co-investors Northstar Ventures, TCS Biosciences, and Maven Capital Partners, to accelerate product development.
Achievements
- Demonstrated significant improvements in protein quality across multiple batches and Caf1 variants.
- Introduced new quality control steps and enhanced downstream processes.
- Confirmed Caf1 digestibility using Aelius’ advanced in vitro gut models.
- Generated data to support regulatory readiness and food-grade classification of Caf1.
- Secured private investment, created new jobs, and unlocked follow-on funding for MarraBio.
- Shared project outcomes at leading conferences, raising awareness of Caf1 and highlighting the North East’s role as a hub for life sciences and novel foods.
Impact
This project has accelerated the development of cost-effective, animal-free ingredients that can make cultivated meat more commercially viable. The work drew on expertise at CPI’s National Biologics Manufacturing Centre in Darlington, where teams advanced analytical method development and downstream purification, and at CPI’s Novel Food Innovation Centre in Wilton, Redcar, which guided the roadmap towards food-grade production and provided regulatory advice.
Together, MarraBio, CPI, and Aelius Biotech improved protein quality and demonstrated the digestibility of Caf1 in vitro, laying the groundwork for wider market adoption.
The results have also strengthened MarraBio’s position in other high-value sectors such as biomedical research and therapy – fields expected to reach multi-billion-dollar valuations by 2030.
Building on this success, MarraBio now plans to scale low-emission, cost-effective food production systems that reduce reliance on traditional animal farming, delivering environmental, economic, and health benefits across the UK and beyond.
Partners
Related
Technologies
Markets
