At the 2026 Tufts Future Food Innovation Day, David Kaplan joined Bruce Friedrich to discuss how cellular agriculture is moving beyond the initial startup phase and into a more mature era of public-sector and institutional support. David shared his insights on the “second wave” of specialized companies entering the field and emphasized the need for better communication regarding the safety, control, and food security benefits of cultivated products. See below for a full playlist of all of the talks during the 2026 Tufts Future Food Innovation Day: Citation: Cellular ag moves beyond the startup phase

In this TEDxTufts talk, Dr. Natalie Rubio, a former PhD student in the Kaplan Lab, shares her decade long passion for cellular agriculture and the quest to produce meat from cells rather than animals. She recounts her unique research into growing meat from insect cells, which led to a NASA grant to study “space food,” and discusses the evolution of the field from theoretical idealism to the practical realities of industrial scaling. Dr. Rubio highlights the current challenges facing the industry, including high production costs and the technical difficulty of creating structured products like steaks. Despite these hurdles, she remains… Read More »Natalie Rubio on the Journey of Cellular Agriculture

At the 2025 Tufts University Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day, David Kaplan and Bruce Friedrich, president of the Good Food Institute, discuss the evolving state of cellular agriculture. They reflect on a year of significant progress, highlighted by major funding initiatives like the Bezos Earth Fund and deepening government support globally. Professor Kaplan emphasizes the importance of a collaborative scientific ecosystem and mentions the upcoming first Gordon Research Conference dedicated to future foods in 2026. The conversation addresses critical challenges such as the need for innovative scale up solutions beyond traditional pharmaceutical methods. David Kaplan calls for new paradigms in bioreactor… Read More »2025 Fireside Chat: Insights from David Kaplan and Bruce Friedrich

In a presentation at the ILSI AM2024, David Kaplan introduces the core concepts and future of cellular agriculture, focusing on the production of meat and dairy products directly from animal cells. He outlines the basic paradigm of isolating cells, multiplying them in bioreactors, and using edible scaffolding to create familiar food products without the need for traditional animal husbandry. Professor Kaplan also discusses the significant challenges facing the industry, such as scaling manufacturing, reducing costs, and ensuring safety, while highlighting the unique opportunities for “therapeutic foods” engineered for specific nutritional needs.

At the Tufts University Cellular Agriculture Innovation Day 2024, David Kaplan and Bruce Friedrich, president of the Good Food Institute, discuss the current state and future of the cellular agriculture field. Professor Kaplan expresses his “eternal optimism” regarding the industry’s growth, citing the incredible passion and dedication of students who are driving innovation from the ground up. He emphasizes that while the field faces economic and scaling challenges, the continued advancement of core sciences (such as cell isolation and low-cost media development) provides a clear path toward a more sustainable and secure food system.