Species-specific growth factors for cultivated meat & seafood
Grow the right cells. With the right growth factors.
MESOkine® is ORF's portfolio of animal-free, species-specific growth factors for cultivated meat and seafood production. Produced in barley, verified batch by batch, available at a cost that scales.
ISO 9001 certified · available for research and production scale
Trusted by teams scaling cultivated meat
ISO 9001:2015 certified · 25 years of molecular farming · Worldwide distribution
MESOkine growth factors: species-matched, quote-based
| Protein | Catalog # | Application |
|---|---|---|
| EGF | MK0101 | Proliferation of epidermal and epithelial cells |
| FGF basic | MK0201 | Stem cell culture, proliferation |
| IGF-1 LR3 | MK0301 | Proliferation, large-scale culture |
| IL-6 | MK0401 | Immune response, hematopoiesis |
| VEGF | MK0501 | Endothelial proliferation, angiogenesis |
| LIF | MK0702 | Reduces stem cell differentiation |
| PDGF-BB | MK1001 | Connective tissue, wound healing |
| Transferrin | MK1601 | Iron delivery in cell culture |
The cultivated meat challenge
Growth factors are the biggest cost barrier in your process
Research-grade prices work at micro-batch. At bioreactor scale they become a production-cost crisis. The economics of mammalian-expressed proteins simply do not scale to the volumes cultivated meat production demands.
Serum and animal-derived components introduce contamination vectors and supply-chain uncertainty. For cultivated food products seeking regulatory approval, every animal-derived input is a liability.
Bovine, porcine, and avian cells respond to their own species' growth factors. Using human-sequence proteins means compromised signaling, unpredictable results, and a process that does not translate from bench to bioreactor.
How MESOkine is made
Plant-produced, batch-verified, species-specific
Expressed in barley, purified for your cells
Recombinant growth factors are expressed in the endosperm of barley seed (Hordeum vulgare), then purified together with co-purified barley seed stabilizing proteins. The plant host is endotoxin-free by design. No animal-derived inputs at any stage of production.
Species-matched sequences -- bovine, porcine, avian
MESOkine growth factors are available in the species sequences that actually drive proliferation in your target cells. Not human-sequence proxies. Bovine, porcine, and avian variants are available across the core growth factor portfolio, including FGFb, IGF-1 LR3, EGF, VEGF, LIF, IL-6, PDGF-BB, and Transferrin.
Bioactivity verified against highly-purified reference standards
Each production batch is tested for bioactivity and confirmed to have comparable activity to a corresponding commercial source of highly purified growth factor. Independent bioassays are documented per vial. Validate once and scale with confidence.
Quality by the numbers
Rigorous quality built into every batch
Typical ED50 in cell-based proliferation assays for key MESOkine growth factors.
ISO 9001:2015 certified. ORF Genetics is on the road to GMP.
Produced in barley with no animal-derived inputs at any stage.
Why MESOkine®
The purpose-built, animal-free choice at production cost
Animal-free, endotoxin-free host
Produced in barley seed. No mammalian expression system, no animal serum in production. Lower contamination risk and a cleaner regulatory story for cultivated-food approvals.
Species-matched for your target cells
Bovine, porcine, and avian sequences, not human-sequence proxies. Correct biological signaling means better proliferation results and fewer surprises when you scale from bench to bioreactor.
Priced for production, not just research
Molecular farming in barley scales differently from mammalian expression. The economics work at bioreactor volumes where conventional alternatives price teams out of viable production.
Batch-to-batch consistency you can build a process on
Each lot is bioactivity-tested and documented. Validate once, then scale with confidence. The co-purified barley seed stabilizing proteins extend shelf life and may enhance bioactivity.
Teams scaling cultivated meat rely on MESOkine®
Mosa Meat (Netherlands) and Vow (Australia) use MESOkine® growth factors in their cultivated-meat programs.
ORF Genetics and Vow presented Europe's first cultivated-meat tasting of Japanese quail in 2024, demonstrating the viability of MESOkine® at production scale.
ORF supplies roughly 150 companies worldwide through a distributor-led model, backed by 25 years of molecular farming expertise and ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Frequently asked questions
About the product
Explore the full portfolio
Other ORF product lines
Animal-free human and mouse growth factors for stem cell, organoid, and regenerative research. The same quality platform and molecular farming process, with human-sequence factors for life-sciences research applications.
Barley-derived growth-factor extracts for cosmetic ingredient applications. The same molecular farming platform, formulated for skincare and hair care manufacturers seeking animal-free, plant-based actives.
Get started
Ready to source growth factors that scale with your process?
Talk to our scientists about your species, application, and volume requirements, or request a quote. Worldwide distribution, ISO 9001 certified.
Quote-based, no account needed. Datasheets on request.