Core Biogenesis and the EIC Accelerator: Growth Factors From Seeds

Growth factors are proteins that tell cells to multiply; Core Biogenesis set out to cut their cost for cell therapy and cultivated meat. Core Biogenesis, founded in Strasbourg in 2020, engineers Camelina sativa, an oilseed plant, to produce such proteins in its seeds, attached to the natural oil droplets called oleosomes, which it says makes them cheaper and free of animal material.

The European Innovation Council granted €1,153,390 towards SEB, "Scalable and Eco-friendly Bioproduction", a €1.65 million project that ran through 2023 and 2024. According to the CORDIS report, it developed four transgenic strains producing Activin A, FGF-2, human serum albumin and TGF-beta, "all with confirmed bioactivity", and moved cultivation from greenhouses towards open fields. The next step it named, "pilot GMP batches and regulatory submission", has not been announced. Since 2025 the company has launched its growth factors as anti-ageing cosmetics ingredients.

Where Core Biogenesis Stands Today

The company now sells to the cosmetics industry. Its actives Peauvita and Peauforia, based on EGF and FGF-2 fused to oleosomes, are marketed as fighting "four key signs of aging in just 14 days", according to Cosmetics Business. Knowmade reported in November 2025 that placebo-controlled studies showed effects on wrinkles and dark spots within 14 days; these studies are the company's own. In 2026 trade press reported a scalp ingredient, Peaureva, and an eye shadow, the Eye Longevity Shadow.

The Technology: A Plant as a Protein Factory

Instead of growing proteins in bacteria or animal cells in steel tanks, Core Biogenesis grows them in fields. The report describes seed master banks, greenhouse protocols validated at 3 kg scale, open-field trials and patented extraction and purification steps designed for GMP. Its two patent applications cover the engineered plants and the purification method, according to Knowmade.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

SEB aimed at scalable, low-cost bioproduction of growth factors for cell therapy, cultivated meat and cosmetics. It delivered the strains, cultivation protocols and purification methods and reported "clear traction observed in B2B interest". It did not deliver pharmaceutical-grade batches or customer contracts, which the report lists as the next steps along with financing for a larger facility.

1. Growth factors from plantsDeliveredFour, with bioactivity.
2. Scalable cultivation and purificationDeliveredGreenhouse and field trials.
3. GMP batches for therapyNot doneListed as next step.
4. Commercial productsCosmeticsPeauvita, Peauforia, Peaureva.

What Has Happened Since the Award

Core Biogenesis raised a $10.5 million Series A in July 2022, led by XAnge, to build a production facility in Strasbourg for growth factors and cytokines, with cell therapy as the lead market. No round since then has been announced. The French register shows no insolvency proceedings; the share capital was reduced slightly in April 2024.

The Money

The register summary shows net losses of €1.07 million in 2021 and €1.72 million in 2022, the last year shown, with 21 employees in 2022. Revenue from the cosmetics launches is not public.

Why Europe Should Care

The EIC paid mostly for a platform to supply cell therapy and cultivated meat. The company's product announcements since 2025 have all been in skincare.

The Verdict

Core Biogenesis has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on company statements, French company data, trade press and EU project data, linked throughout.