byeThree years ago, in February 2020, Biomeliqa startup, announced that it had successfully used cells to produce lactose and casein, a sugar and protein found in breast milk.
The company, which was founded by two women and is based in North Carolina, USA, develops in its laboratories technologies about breast milk and how it can be produced outside the human body, In an experience that transcends the boundaries of science and parenting.
The idea first came to the company’s founder and chief scientist, Lily Strickland In 2013 after we heard about the world’s first laboratory-made hamburger. As a cell biologist herself, she wondered if a similar technology could be used to grow the cells that produce human milk.
Lily Strickland struggled to produce enough breast milk for the first time child And they thought maybe this is the solution. “Many women struggle with this.”She said in a previous interview with CNN.
Breast milk is often described as an “elixir,” that is, the “perfect food.” Its purported benefits include protection against asthma, diabetes, diarrhea, eczema, obesity, and even sudden death syndrome. Some research credits breast milk with “producing smarter babies,” though this is hard to prove.
We are seen as a company Breastfeeding has benefits that no one will be able to imitate or replace. If you can breastfeed, do so. But the reality is different. Most women can’t just breastfeed. This is not due to a lack of effort or will.” Michele Egger, the company’s co-founder, tells New Yorker editor Molly Disher.
The founders of the company
at the global level, Only one in three babies receives adequate amounts of breast milk in the first six months of life, as recommended by experts, Cite data from the World Health Organization. Instead, many parents rely on formula. The dairy industry will be worth more than $52 billion in 2021, according to market research provider Euromonitor International.
Often based on cow’s milk powder, the formula is “Able to meet many of the nutritional requirements of children”says Lila Strickland, but she can’t imitate “The complexity of breast milk.”
She herself supports BIOMILQ matches the nutritional properties of breast milk better than formula, Because it contains similar proportions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
How is the company’s “breast milk” produced?
The BIOMILQ team creates their product from Cells taken from human tissue, breast and milk – A donation from women in the local community, who in return receive a gift card to a well-known department store.
The cells are grown in flasks, fed with nutrients and then incubated in a bioreactor that mimics the environment of a breast. Thus, the cells absorb more nutrients and excrete the milk components.
Feedback and positive feedback
The BIOMILQ product may not have been on the market yet, but it has caused both negative and positive feedback.
“Human milk produced in a bioreactor will not have quite the same health benefits as breast milk,” she says. says Natalie Schenker, fellow at Imperial College London and co-founder of Human Milk, an organization that helps provide donor milk to families in need. For example, fatty acids that help the body and brain develop as well hormones Like cortisol, which contributes to the proper functioning of the baby’s heart rate and the development of healthy sleep conditions, it comes from the mother’s blood.says Natalie Schenker in a related CNN report.
Lactation consultant Courtney Miller, who supports breastfeeding moms, agrees, saying in the same post that cell culture milk is not. Replace the parent of milk». But he believes that he can provide parents “another optionEspecially when we talk about having a child through adoption or surrogacy.
Formula is the only option right now parents Whoever cannot breastfeed unless he finds donated milk.” Miller says. “However, obtaining donor milk can become difficult. In the United States, feeding a newborn with breast milk from a milk bank can cost up to $100 a day. It is often cheaper to find a donor online, but it is not safe.”
Courtney Miller also believes that BIOMILQ can advance the scientific study of breast milk. In fact, she donated a few ounces of her own milk to the startup, hoping her research would lead to new discoveries in infant nutrition.
BIOMILQ competitors
Η biomelk It’s not the only company hoping to create a new brand of infant formula. For example, New York-based Helaina uses microbial fermentation to grow the proteins found in breast milk. There’s also Turtle Tree, based in Singapore and the US, which grows stem cells to produce milk components from a range of mammals, including humans.
BIOMILQ’s Environmental Footprint and Investments
BIOMILQ claims that their product can make feeding babies more enjoyable environmental viable. One kilogram of bottled formula produces between seven and 11 kilograms of carbon dioxide, according to one estimate. BIOMILQ continues to conduct studies of its carbon footprint. BIOMILQ continues to conduct studies of its carbon footprint.
The promise of a greener alternative to the formula has attracted investment from big companies like Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
So BIOMILQ raised $21 million in October 2021. With this funding, startup founder Leila Strickland said: “BIOMILQ is focused on expanding and producing more milk.”
When will the product be released?
BIOMILQ still has a few years to go from bringing a product to market where it must first grow breast cells on a much larger scale – and at a lower cost. The company also needs to convince regulators that the product is safe for children — an especially difficult task for a new food category, such as breast milk, which is grown in a lab.
“We are currently focused on development and production optimization with the goal of bringing cell cultured human milk to market when we are fully satisfied that our product meets our stringent quality standards. We are committed to working closely with families, pediatricians and the breastfeeding community to create the best possible product for babies and parents around the world “.indicates the official its website.
Becky Holmes, founder of Foodwit, a food safety consulting firm foodexplained that products intended to provide complete nutrition to infants must overcome more hurdles than other foods. “The new product must, among other things, undergo several clinical trials, which may involve recruiting hundreds of children to participate. Everything is very expensive.” said Holmes. “Young innovators are almost discouraged from trying to get into the formulation industry, or they are stalled.”
“What BIOMILQ is trying to do is an innovative project from a perspective, which requires huge capital and investment, which may still be years away,” add itself.
With info from newyorker.com and cnn.com
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