Aleph Farms Increases Production Capabilities with VBL Therapeutics Facility Acquisition and ESCO Aster Partnership
Aleph Farms, the first company to grow cultivated steaks directly from non-modified cow cells, today announced that it has acquired a manufacturing facility in Modi’in, Israel, and certain related assets from biotechnology company VBL Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VBLT). In addition, Aleph Farms has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ESCO Aster, a vertically-integrated contract manufacturing organization, to produce cultivated meat in Singapore. These agreements stand to increase Aleph Farms’ production capabilities and global impact as the company approaches commercialization.
“Israel and Singapore are the first two markets where we intend to launch our cultivated thin-cut steak. Building up production capacity quickly in those locations while keeping capital investment lean provides a clear roadmap to scalability,” said Didier Toubia, CEO and co-founder of Aleph Farms. “Beyond Israel and Singapore, we plan on building additional strategic assets worldwide as part of our effort to bring more security and resilience to food systems.”
Existing assets from VBL will be paired with a smooth technology transfer from Aleph Farms' pilot production facility in Rehovot, Israel, to increase local output in response to rising demand for quality protein.
“Our state-of-the-art facility will enable Aleph Farms to unlock value and ramp up local production in an efficient manner,” added Dror Harats, MD, Chief Executive Officer of VBL. “We look forward to seeing the facility support Aleph Farms’ goals in the future.”
The signing of the MOU between Aleph Farms and ESCO Aster was witnessed by the Ambassador of Israel to Singapore, HE Sagi Karni, and the Non-Resident Ambassador of Singapore to Israel and Chairman of the Singapore Food Agency, HE Lim Chuan Poh, demonstrating the strong ties between the two countries. ESCO Aster is the world’s first and only company with full regulatory approval from a government authority (Singapore Food Agency), and with ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 certifications, to produce cultivated meat for commercial sales and consumption at the highest safety standards.
This MOU covers the use of ESCO Aster's manufacturing expertise in producing Aleph Farms’ cultivated meat in Singapore, helping the nation work towards its goal of “30 by 30” — the establishment of agri-food capabilities that can satisfy 30% of the island’s nutritional needs locally and sustainably by 2030. Such terms also position Singapore as a focal point for Aleph Farms’ future expansion in Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
“We are proud to be working with Aleph Farms to bring its cultivated steak to Singapore," said Xiangliang (XL) Lin, CEO of ESCO Aster and Deputy CEO of ESCO Lifesciences Group. "As part of our contract manufacturing MOU, we will work together with religious authorities on obtaining a halal certificate for our facility, enabling our collaboration with Aleph to expand to even more of the broader region."
Aleph Farms is working closely with regulatory agencies around the world as it prepares for the commercial launch of its first product, a cultivated thin-cut steak. The company also plans to produce different cuts of steak as well as other products based on animal cells, such as cultivated collagen, through additional proprietary capabilities. From a single fertilized egg, Aleph Farms can grow thousands of tons of cultivated meat, serving as part of a just and inclusive transition to sustainable and secure food systems.
About Aleph Farms
Aleph Farms grows cultivated steaks from cells that are isolated from a living cow and not immortalized or genetically modified, avoiding slaughter and achieving reduced environmental impact at scale. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Didier Toubia, The Kitchen Hub by Strauss Group, and Professor Shulamit Levenberg of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Its vision is to ensure unconditional nutrition for anyone, anytime, anywhere. For more information, follow Aleph Farms on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn or visit www.aleph-farms.com. Access the Aleph Farms press kit here.
About ESCO Aster
ESCO Aster Pte Ltd is a cGMP CRDMO (Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization) operating as an independent subsidiary of ESCO Lifesciences Group. The company provides process development (PD) and contract manufacturing (from upstream to downstream, formulation and filling), consultation, and clinical research services bridging the translation gap from bench to bedside.
About VBL Therapeutics
Vascular Biogenics Ltd., operating as VBL Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VBLT) is developing targeted therapies for immune-inflammatory diseases. VBL Therapeutics’ lead immunology product candidate, VB-601, is a targeted antibody for immune-inflammatory applications that has shown disease-modifying activity across multiple preclinical models including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. VBL Therapeutics has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Notable Labs, Inc., which merger is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023. To learn more about VBL Therapeutics, please visit vblrx.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005341/en/
Contact information
Media Contact
Natalee Gibson
alephfarms@songuepr.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Organon and CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, Launch First-of-Its-Kind Collaboration to Increase Sustainable Financing in Women’s Health7.6.2023 14:30:00 EEST | Press release
Today, Organon (NYSE:OGN), a global healthcare company focused on women’s health, and CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through the design, structure and implementation of sustainable programs that promote and improve equity, health and autonomy of girls and women in Latin America and the Caribbean. Across the globe, tremendous gaps exist in women’s health that can potentially prevent women and thus economies from achieving their full potential. Sustainable financing can advance progress in women’s health by mobilizing capital towards initiatives that might not otherwise receive adequate support like increasing access to sexual and reproductive health education and healthcare services. Sustainable financing is one potential solution to address constrained government budgets while catalyzing healthcarei and socioeconomic progress. Health-focused social impact investments –
Falcon 40B: World’s Top AI Model Rewards Most Creative Use Cases in Call for Proposals with Training Compute Power7.6.2023 13:21:00 EEST | Press release
Falcon 40B, the world’s top-ranked open-source AI model on the Hugging Face leaderboard for large language models (LLMs), is registering an overwhelming response to a Call for Proposals from scientists, researchers, and SME entrepreneurs keen to deploy the model for innovative use cases. The response follows back-to-back announcements from the AI model’s creator, Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII), offering the most exceptional project ideas access to training compute power as a form of investment. Compute power enables developers to tackle more complex and resource-intensive use cases with increased efficiency, productivity, and performance. By being able to experiment with the capabilities of Falcon 40B, the best open-source LLM globally, developers can venture into uncharted territories, driving innovation and expanding the possibilities of AI solutions - at speed. Submissions are being welcomed from all over the world, and across all industries and sectors to find th
ees Europe 2023: Major Progress in New Battery Technologies7.6.2023 13:07:00 EEST | Press release
More and more electricity is being generated from renewable energies while the electromobility business is growing. Whether we are talking about sustainable power generation or electric mobility, one thing is key: Energy storage – especially battery storage. Manufacturers today primarily rely on lithium-based batteries. But now they are going one step further: The production of batteries is to become more environmentally friendly and the products more efficient, safer and cheaper. To this end, several manufacturers are now looking for alternatives – and they have found them. At ees Europe, the continent’s largest and most international exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems and the concurrent exhibitions, more than 950 suppliers will be presenting their latest products and solutions for the energy storage of the future. What’s more, attendees at the ees Europe Conference will learn first-hand where lithium-based batteries will continue to play out their advantages, but als
Samsung’s Exynos Auto V920 to Power Hyundai Motor’s Next-Generation In-Vehicle Infotainment Systems7.6.2023 13:00:00 EEST | Press release
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that its latest automotive processor, the Exynos Auto V920, has been selected to power Hyundai Motor Company’s next-generation in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems, which are expected to roll out by 2025. This marks Samsung’s first collaboration on automotive semiconductors with Hyundai Motor, a global mobility leader. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230607005489/en/ Samsung Exynos Auto V920 (Graphic: Business Wire) “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Hyundai Motor, a prominent global mobility manufacturer, and we anticipate that this partnership will further solidify our position in the automotive infotainment space,” said Jae Geol Pyee, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics. "Through close collaboration with our global customers and ecosystem partners,
HCLTech Launches Advanced Testing Facility for 5G Infrastructure OEMs7.6.2023 11:44:00 EEST | Press release
HCLTech, a leading global technology company, announced the launch of a state-of-the-art test lab in Chennai, India to enable global telecom infrastructure original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to test and validate 5G solutions. The facility, which is first of its kind in India, is equipped with high-end scanners that enable global OEMs to test large cellular base stations as well as small form factor antennas used in mobile phones, smart gadgets, health monitoring systems and remote surveillance systems. “We’re committed to advancing next-gen mobile telephony with the highest levels of quality, performance and technology. We have a team of highly experienced and skilled engineers to test and verify cellular and non-cellular products with great precision,” said Vijay Guntur, President, Engineering and R&D Services, HCLTech. Currently equipped to test and validate 5G telecom antennas for frequency bands up to 7 GHz, the lab is scalable to test millimeter-wave frequency 5G infrastructu
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom