CULT Food Science Corp. , an innovative investment platform with an exclusive focus on cellular agriculture that is advancing the development of novel technologies to provide a sustainable, environmental, and ethical solution to the global factory farming and aquaculture crises, is pleased to announce that it has invested US$125,000 (the ” Investment”) in Opalia Co. (” Opalia”). Based in Montreal, Opalia is the first Canadian company to produce cow milk from mammary cells.
Opalia’s Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Cote, and Chief Scientific Officer, Lucas House, co-founded the business in September of 2020 to help reduce the consequences of dairy farming, which causes environmental degradation, animal suffering and the spread of pathogens. In March of 2021, Opalia achieved the proof-of-concept by make milk through an artificial mammary duct as evidenced by both casein and lipid production. Through a process that involves mammary cell isolation and proliferation, genetic engineering, mammary gland reproduction and milk synthesis, Opalia is aiming to serve people who want to consume dairy sustainably and ethically, without compromise.
Opalia recently achieved the milestone of achieving milk secretion capacity equivalent to half of a cow and expects to increase that capacity to a whole cow before the end of the year. Opalia has a three-stage strategy to develop intellectual property along a specific path. It is focused on patenting the genetically engineered cell-line (overexpressed genes), then patenting the lactogenic medium and inducible gene-expression system to reduce the cost of the medium, and then patenting the architecture of the bioreactor. Opalia has attracted biomedical engineers, academic advisors, mentors and other assistance to propel Opalia more rapidly toward the achievement of these goals.
“CULT’s purchase of an equity stake in Opalia represents a significant investment in the cultured dairy sector of the broader cellular agriculture space. We are very excited about the future of this Opalia’s business as Canadians are becoming more aware of the negative impacts being made by the traditional dairy industry on the environment and animals,” said Lejjy Gafour, President of CULT. “Opalia has a clear vision to patent its intellectual property, expand the team through the addition of key scientists and biologists, and generate cash flow from multiple revenue streams. CULT also expects to help Opalia create partnerships, become more established in the alternative milk industry and mature as a corporate entity by providing other advisory services,” added Mr. Gafour.
