We all know the over consumption of animal products is a major cause of global warming and environmental degradation, and that the best way we can lower our carbon footprints is to switch to a plant-based diet. However, consumers are compromising on products that are ultra-processed, not necessarily healthy, and lacking variety: today’s meat-alternatives are mostly burgers, sausages & nuggets, and consumers lack ‘whole-muscle’ plant-based products.

Bosque Foods creates healthier, nutrient-dense, and minimally processed whole-cut meat-alternatives, grown naturally from mycelium. By leveraging mycelium’s inherent structure, they can naturally replicate the texture of meat without the need for a long list of additives found in current meat alternatives. This means that we can create better-than-meat products that deliver on the entire taste experience, nutrition, and affordability without compromise.

RizLab Health is addressing the pandemic of antimicrobial resistance and helping clinicians by pinpointing the source of infection (and thus preventing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions) with their point-of-care device, the CytoTracker. The CytoTracker differentiates bacterial from viral infection profiles within minutes using only a single drop of blood. A 200-person clinical study demonstrated the CytoTracker beats the specificity of current testing methods, making it the most affordable, portable, and accurate blood analyzer.

Milk should be a delicious and protein-rich drink, but many milk alternatives lack the nutrient depth of cow’s milk. Upright has created the world’s first protein-rich, allergen-free, vegan oat milk option with double the protein of other oat milks. In addition, each cup of Upright Oats saves 39 gallons of water compared with cow’s milk, making it the healthiest AND most sustainable option.

The TômTex mission is to create innovative material designs that parallel lifecycles observed in nature and serve as alternatives to the production methods that have contributed to our world’s environmental crisis. Our revolutionary bio-based materials offer a sustainable, accessible, and practical alternative to currently available commercial material options.

Alternatives to animal protein include plant-based, fermentation-based, and cellular agriculture-based options, but all suffer from a lack of true ‘meatiness.’ Kyomei is using a novel strategy to scale production of meat myoglobin produced in plants. Their patented ingredient will be the foundation of truly satisfying umami plant-based burgers, powering the next generation of tasty plant-based protein.

Pannex Therapeutics is a pioneer biopharmaceutical company totally focused on the development of a novel therapeutic class of Pannexin 1 channel (Panx1) blockers. Pannex is developing a platform of small molecules that blocks this exciting new pharmacological target, Panx1 channels.

With potential applications in many therapeutic areas, the initial focus is on chronic pain treatment. The company is currently developing a first-in-class, selective and highly potent oral Panx1 channel blocker, for the treatment of chronic pain and prevention of opioid addiction.

The cosmetic effects of ageing on skin and the development of skin cancers result from multiple changes in three types of skin cells (fibroblasts, keratinocytes, melanocytes) and degeneration of extracellular components (collagen, elastin). These changes are accelerated by toxic chemicals that are produced in skin when it is exposed to all wavelengths of sunlight, all common atmospheric pollutants, and tobacco smoke.

Kutanios produces a peptide-based ingredient that prevents skin damage from aging and sun exposure via topical application. The novel mechanism stops skin cells from degrading the surrounding collagen and promoting inflammation, common causes of sun-damage related aging. Not only does this peptide protect against sun and skin damage, but their ingredient is biodegradable and safe for the environment, unlike common sunblocks.

Biological sample preparation has not kept pace with the dramatic changes in analytical techniques. Nowhere is this more evident than in DNA sample prep, which continues to be a low throughput process serving high throughput next-generation DNA sequencing. This mismatch is limiting the accelerated uptake of next generation sequencing.

Inso Bio envisions a future of increased accessibility, where complex sample prep protocols are completed from start to finish with the push of a button. This is why we are developing next-generation platforms to streamline workflows leading up to sequencing, to give people more time to devote to science, discovery, and data, rather than wrestling with their samples.

Helex Bio enables gene therapy companies to design gRNAs & simulate outcomes of CRISPR edits to bring effective therapies to market faster with our Helex Platform™. The Helex Platform™ guides gene therapy companies in target identification, design and validation of efficient and safe gRNAs for creating functional impact with minimal significant off-targets. Additionally, the platform simulates edit outcomes to reliably develop therapy protocols.

The Helex Platform™ is powered by intelligent data driven deep-learning modeling using extensive high throughput next generation sequencing data derived from CRISPR edits on human cell lines. Helex not only gives reliable predictions through the Helex Platform™, but validate them in-house using cell-based assays and next generation sequencing to support with proven experimental data for high degree of reliability.

In a time when extreme climate makes crop harvests uncertain, greenhouses offer consistent yields while using fewer water and land resources. Ceragen contributes to the sustainable intensification of crop production with a single application of their ACCelerate probiotic, which increases hydroponic tomato yields up to 16% in field trials. Ceragen’s microbial discovery platform has a pipeline of additional products, with a lettuce product expected in Q3 2022.