Cultivated meat pioneer UPSIDE Foods has launched a new division, Lucius Labs, designed to monetize its internal expertise by selling high-efficiency, cost-effective cell culture media to the broader life sciences industry, including sectors like gene therapy and vaccine production. This strategic diversification aims to generate immediate revenue and extend the company’s financial runway amidst a difficult funding environment that has seen major competitors shutter and forced UPSIDE to pause its large-scale Illinois facility in favor of a more economical expansion in California. While the company continues to battle regulatory hurdles and state-level bans regarding its core meat products, Lucius Labs represents a pivot to remain agile, offering custom media formulas with faster turnaround times to support bioprocessing applications beyond food.
Source: UPSIDE Foods launches cell culture media spin-off Lucius Labs