Bruce Freidrich of the Good Food Institute, Isha Datar of New Harvest, and Mark Post of Mosa Meat at last year's Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day at Tufts University
Newswise — Tufts University, home to the world’s largest concentration of academic researchers working on cultivated meat, will be hosting its second annual Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day on January 11, 2024. The day-long event will be held at Tufts’ Joyce Cummings Center in Medford, following a year of major developments in the industry — including regulatory approval of cultivated meat in the United States. Bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors, Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day is an opportunity for candid discussion about challenges in the industry and collective conversations on issues such as safety, scaling, and taste in order to move the field forward.
In 2023, the FDA gave approval to two private companies to produce and sell cell-cultivated meat in the United States. A network of activity, centered at the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA), has propelled key scientific advancements and created a pipeline of talent and expertise for this emerging industry. The event will consist of panel discussions and networking sessions on funding, reaching U.S. consumers, emerging research on flavor, environmental impact analyses, cost-efficient scale-up, and more.
“Tufts University is committed to being a leader and a convener in the cellular agriculture industry,” said Caroline Genco, Tufts University provost and senior vice president. “Our Center for Cellular Agriculture is among our strategic research programs at the university. Through collaborations with researchers, entrepreneurs and investors, work that happens at Tufts catalyzes the industry.”
Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day will feature an impressive lineup of speakers, including:
- Sanah Baig, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics
- Nicole Tichenor Blackstone, assistant professor of agriculture, food, and environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
- Nicki Briggs, vice president of corporate communications, Perfect Day
- Bre Duffy, U.S. director of responsible research and innovation, New Harvest
- Bruce Friedrich, founder & president, Good Food Institute
- David Humbird, chemical engineer and consultant
- David Kaplan, director, Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture
- Ben Linville-Engler, deputy director and chief investment strategist, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
- Yossi Quint, founder & CEO, Ark Biotech
- Natalie Rubio, entrepreneur-in-residence and executive director, Tufts University Cellular Agriculture Commercialization Lab
- Eric Schulze, founder & principal, Good Humans Strategy & Design
- Andrew Stout, entrepreneur-in-residence, Tufts University Cellular Agriculture Commercialization Lab
- Laura Turner, investor, Agronomics
- John Yuen Jr., entrepreneur-in-residence, Tufts University Cellular Agriculture Commercialization Lab
“After a year full of optimism, advancements and challenges in the field, the second annual Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day is the perfect time for the industry’s leaders to come together to discuss what’s next,” said David Kaplan, director, Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture. “The event has become something that leaders in the space look forward to, and with new research, developments, and implications to discuss, the huddle of experts at this year’s event will be crucial to the continued advancement of the industry.”
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