One of the quiet bottlenecks in cultivated meat is not growing cells faster, but keeping them listening. RNA is a powerful way to tell a cell what to do, whether that is making a protein, becoming muscle, or turning into fat. The problem is that animal cells are trained to treat unfamiliar RNA like a virus. They shut it down quickly, often harming themselves in the process. For cellular agriculture, that immune reflex translates into short expression windows, weaker differentiation, and higher costs.
In this patent, Uncommon Bio describes RNA constructs designed to stay active for longer by pairing a gene of interest with an immune blocking protein (WO2025238217A1).
The idea is simpler than it sounds. When RNA enters a cell, the cell’s immune system often destroys it before much happens. Uncommon’s approach adds a helper protein called SPV132, derived from swinepox virus, that temporarily quiets this response. Think of it as lowering the volume on the alarm system so the message can be read.
To show this working, the inventors use GFP, a green glowing protein commonly used as a visual indicator in biology. If cells glow green, the RNA is being read. Cells given RNA alone stop glowing quickly. When SPV132 is present, many cells keep glowing for days. Importantly, cells also grow better, suggesting they are less stressed by the RNA.
The same approach is applied to MyoD, a natural protein that tells cells to become muscle. With SPV132 involved, porcine stem cells show stronger and more consistent muscle formation. This matters directly for cultivated meat, where reliable muscle development is essential.
A platform built for porcine cell programming
Uncommon Bio built this technology while developing cultivated pork, using porcine cells as a demanding test case. This patent fits squarely within that cultivated meat platform. In 2025, Uncommon divested its food-focused assets, with technologies acquired through separate transactions by Meatable and Vow.
Meatable entered liquidation in December 2025 following investor withdrawal, while assets acquired by Vow are not affected by that process. The exact allocation of individual patents has not been publicly disclosed. What remains clear is that this patent captures a formative moment in cultivated meat, when teams were pushing RNA tools to work in real-world animal cells at scale.
Congratulations to the inventors Adam Sidaway, Glenn Cockburn, Virginia Castilla-Llorente, and Ruth Faram, for their contribution to the field.
Lab Grown Technologies highlights meaningful innovations shaping the future of cellular agriculture and tissue engineering.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts on LinkedIn.
About the Author - Kandice Vincent
This article is authored by writer and editor Kandice Vincent, whose work centers on cellular agriculture, food technology, and the future of sustainable food systems. She partners with founders, researchers, and mission-driven companies to communicate emerging innovations with clarity and accessibility. Kandice is passionate about collaborating with others in the field and helping expand public understanding of the technologies shaping the future of food.
This post is based on publicly available information. Lab Grown Technologies is not affiliated with the inventors or organizations mentioned.