177: Rethinking Cultivated Meat Production: Scale and Media Optimization Strategies Slashing Manufacturing Costs with Richard Alldread - Part 1

What if the secrets to feeding the planet - and democratizing access to future protein - were hiding in the core toolkit of biopharma?

The worlds of biopharmaceuticals and cultured food may seem galaxies apart, but at their heart, both rely on remarkably similar technology: media, bioreactors, and cell processing. Yet, as demand grows for sustainable, affordable protein for the masses, innovators are confronting a challenge bigger than scale.

This week, host David Brühlmann welcomes Richard Alldread, Chief Technology Officer at The Cultured Hub, a groundbreaking joint venture between three Swiss industry leaders that specializes in developing and scaling cell culture processes for cultivated foods.

Most of Richard’s career has been dedicated to leading process and technology development initiatives within the biopharmaceutical industry. He has held key roles at major biotech organizations. He now leads the charge in applying high-tech bioprocessing to the ultimate scale-up: cultivated food. His journey from pioneering life-saving biologics to reimagining food production offers a rare insider’s view of biotech’s next frontier.

Here are three reasons you can’t miss this episode:

• Bioprocessing’s Universal Blueprint: Richard breaks down the striking similarities between pharmaceuticals and food - media, bioreactors, sterility - but reveals why the economics and scale make cultivated food an entirely new beast.
• From Clinic to Kitchen: Discover how the shift from producing grams of life-saving drugs for the West to tons of affordable protein for global tables flips traditional priorities, pushing innovation in cost reduction, media development, and facility design.
• The Art of Keeping it Simple: Richard shares a contrarian philosophy: the best processes need fewer high-tech analytics, not more. He weighs in on where digital tools, modeling, and even AI fit into building robust, scalable bioprocesses for the food industry.

Curious about how the lessons of biopharma might feed the world? Dive into this episode to uncover the biggest technical, economic, and biological hurdles - and why the next big leap in bioprocessing may end up on our dinner plates.

Connect with Richard Alldread:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/richard-alldread-01923644

Website: www.theculturedhub.com

Want to hear more perspectives on the future of cell-based food? Don’t miss these previous episodes:

• Episodes 55-56: Cultivated Meat: A Promising Future or an Inevitable Bubble? with Steven Lang
• Episodes 45-46: From Lab to Table: The Science Behind Cultivated Meat with Petra Hanga
• Episodes 15-16: Bacon Without Pigs? Innovations in Cultivated Meat Manufacturing with Beat Thalmann

Next step:

Book a free consultation to help you get started on any questions you may have about bioprocess development: https://bruehlmann-consulting.com/call

🧬 Ready to eliminate CMC chaos and hit your IND timeline with absolute certainty? Get the complete Notion CMC Dashboard at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech/p/cmc-dashboard-for-biotech-founders - the proven CMC roadmap for IND submission.

🧬 Stop second-guessing your CMC strategy. Our CMC strategy accelerator identifies critical roadmap gaps that could derail your timelines and gives you the clarity to build a submission package that regulators approve. Secure your spot at https://stan.store/SmartBiotech/p/derisk-cmc-development

Support the show