24: From Tobacco to Steaks: Dana Yarden's Biotech Journey to Turn Tobacco into Natural Bioreactors

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Dana Yarden is the co-founder of BioBetter, an Israeli Agri/FoodTech start-up that aims to revolutionize the cultivated meat industry by using tobacco plants as natural bioreactors for producing growth factors (GFs). Dana’s background spans 18 years in the Life Science and Biotech industries, and she holds both an MD and an MBA from Tel-Aviv University. Through BioBetter, Dana envisions a future where molecular farming—using plants like tobacco to produce crucial resources—plays a pivotal role in sustainable agriculture and the future of food production.

Founded in 2015, BioBetter uses tobacco plants to produce specific growth factors needed in the cultivated meat industry. The company harnesses the natural properties of tobacco, turning it into a bioreactor capable of producing GFs. The process involves inserting the genome of a desired growth factor into the tobacco plant’s DNA, and then breeding the plant in open fields using renewable energy. After the tobacco plants are grown and harvested, the growth factors are extracted and purified, resulting in high-quality, animal-free GFs that are produced sustainably.

Why Growth Factors Matter for Cultivated Meat
Growth factors are essential in the cultivated meat industry, where real animal meat is grown from stem cells, using GFs to generate muscle tissue without the need to raise animals. This method reduces the environmental impact of meat production by cutting down on carbon emissions and agriculture-related pollution. However, the high cost of current GFs has been a significant barrier to scaling the cultivated meat industry. BioBetter aims to solve this challenge by providing a more affordable and sustainable way to produce GFs, thus accelerating the growth of cultivated meat and helping make it a viable alternative to traditional meat.

Since the introduction of the cultivated meat industry in 2013, more than 150 companies have emerged, supported by over $2.6 billion in investments. BioBetter’s approach could significantly reduce the cost of GFs, making cultivated meat production more accessible and cost-effective, and pushing the industry toward greater adoption.

Throughout the episode, Dana discusses the challenges of scaling biotech, the future of molecular farming, and the excitement (and occasional setbacks) in the cultivated meat industry. She emphasizes the importance of persistence and long-term thinking, saying, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We need to know how to maintain our energies all the time because [industry advancement] is not going to happen all in one day.”

Memorable Quotes from Dana Yarden:

• “Tobacco has more protein than even soy. If you take out the nicotine, the alkaloid molecules, you have a very good plant.”
• “Sometimes when you see a new technology, and you want to see the forecasts, you cannot really see what will accelerate it or not.”
• “Once we understand what to do and how to do it, it will accelerate very fast.”
• “We need to look at it as more of a holistic solution, rather than one company solving it, otherwise we will not make a solution.”
• “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Dana’s journey to creating BioBetter has been driven by a passion for using biotechnology to make a sustainable impact, and she sees molecular farming as a key part of the future of food production. With BioBetter’s work, tobacco plants are turning into something far more valuable than cigarettes—they’re becoming the foundation for a cleaner, more sustainable way to produce meat, and in doing so, are revolutionizing the biotech space.

Listen to the full episode for an in-depth look at Dana’s groundbreaking work at BioBetter.

Capíttulos

1. 24: From Tobacco to Steaks: Dana Yarden's Biotech Journey to Turn Tobacco into Natural Bioreactors (00:00:00)

2. Can you introduce yourself? (00:02:18)

3. How long does it take to use the tobacco plants? (00:07:15)

4. What is needed to create cultivated meat? (00:09:29)

5. How many growth factors are you making? (00:11:50)

6. Do you need FDA approval for these products? (00:12:20)

7. What is the current standing of your company? (00:14:00)

8. What is the price point for the growth factors? (00:16:30)

9. What needs to change to accelerate this field? (00:22:03)

10. Do you feel that the excitement around the cultivated meat industry has cooled down in the last few years? (00:28:00)

11. What kind of challenges do you need to overcome in the scaling up phase? (00:31:00)

12. Do you need to raise more funds? (00:32:30)

13. What is your driving force in founding companies? (00:33:10)

14. If you could improve one thing in the world, what would it be? (00:34:15)

15. Are there any books/podcasts that you inspired your journey? (00:35:00)

16. How can people get in touch with you? (00:38:10)