Protein Production Technology Podcast · FPG Media

Special Episode: Steen Ooi & Andrew Sayles - Livestock Labs

·37 min·3 clips

Steen Ooi explains why today's cell lines lack the dozens of traits needed to scale cultivated meat to millions of tons.

This special live episode of the Protein Production Technology Podcast features host Nick in conversation with Steen Ooi, founder of Livestock Labs, and Andrew Sayles, an expert in bioprocess optimization. They discuss the development of engineered, production-ready cell lines for the cultivated meat industry. Steen Ooi's company uses genetic engineering to build cell lines with multiple optimized traits for industrial-scale production. A primary topic is how these "process-ready" cell lines differ from the primary, non-engineered cells most companies use today, which require extensive internal R&D. Livestock Labs aims to endow cells with dozens of characteristics, such as immortalization, short population doubling time, and reduced media requirements. The guests claim their platform can save companies up to 95% in development costs and eliminate up to two years of R&D time. They reference the high expense of in-house cell line development, citing a monthly budget of $10,000 for a six-person team at a previous company. Steen Ooi shares that his realization of the industry's need for genetic engineering came from his experience at New Age Eats, where inadequate cells caused major bottlenecks. Andrew Sayles argues that the era of vertically integrated companies doing everything is ending due to capital efficiency, favoring a specialized supply chain. They explain that traits like minimal media requirements are targeted because growth media can constitute up to 80% of production costs. A technical challenge discussed is that factors known to work in tumor-derived cell lines often fail in normal livestock cells, requiring extensive wet-lab testing. An interesting insight is their phased approach: first establishing core proliferation traits, then adding cost-reduction traits like metabolic efficiency, and finally enhancing consumer-facing attributes like flavor and nutrition. They argue that genetic stability is foundational for ensuring cells can reliably differentiate into functional fat or muscle. The guests posit that consumer acceptance of genetic engineering is necessary for the industry to achieve scale and compete with conventional meat on price. The episode has an educational and conversational tone, blending technical explanations with business strategy analysis. It is forward-looking and optimistic about industry collaboration. This episode is ideal for cultivated meat startup founders, bioprocess engineers, and investors interested in the sector's supply chain evolution. Listeners seeking a debate on the ethics of genetic engineering or a narrative-driven story might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A practical look at production-ready cell lines, licensing, and the support needed to scale cultivated meat.

This episode stays on the unglamorous but necessary part of cultivated meat: the cell line work that has to be solid before scale can matter. It makes a sensible case for species-specific lines and for a more modular supply chain, where specialized work can be shared instead of…

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Why you'd press play

If you want a calm, technical listen on production-ready cultivated-meat cell lines, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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