Biotechnological Applications of Cellular Agriculture

Biotechnology advances in genetic and tissue engineering, molecular biology, synthetic biology (synbio), and bioinformatics open new avenues for understanding the complexities of living organisms and developing novel approaches to solve pressing global issues.

FREMONT, CA: Cellular agriculture, often known as "cellag," is evolving to feed the world's expanding population while addressing climate change and supply chain disruption. Synthetic biology (synbio), genetic and tissue engineering, molecular biology, and bioinformatics advancements in biotechnology open new doors for comprehending the complexity of living things and creating fresh solutions to urgent global problems. The primary trend in cellular agriculture, for instance, is the use of cell culture technologies to create cultured meat and other substitute proteins. Startups are creating sophisticated bioreactors and utilising technologies like 3D printing and protein engineering to scale production.

Cultured Meat

A cellular farm does not require raising and slaughtering animals to produce meat. This gives clean meat to an expanding global population while lowering the carbon footprint of animal husbandry. The creation of fresh cell lines and the expansion of larger tissues pose the main obstacles to the manufacture of meat using animal cells.

New cell lines and antibiotic-free cell cultures are being introduced by startups using advances in tissue and genetic engineering. This guarantees that the lab-grown meat is free of contaminants, hormone-free, and safe to make and consume. Additionally, lab-grown meat offers a reliable source of food and an alternative protein, particularly in areas with unsustainable animal agriculture. The fact that cultured meat has a different sensory profile from meat that is typically raised is another problem with it. Therefore, new biosynthetic techniques are being used by entrepreneurs to enhance the flavour, texture, and mouthfeel of in-vitro meat.

Plant-based Cell Development

The development of plant-based cell lines enables the manufacture of plant-based meat, a sustainable substitute for conventional agriculture. Consumers are increasingly choosing cell cultures because they provide better nutritional profiles with low fat and high fibre content. Additionally, the entry of allergens is greatly reduced during plant-based cell development, making it safe for people who have food allergies or intolerances. Similar to animal cells, plant cells are genetically altered to create products tailored to specific needs, such as those that are soy- or gluten-free. Recombinant proteins, which are proteins produced using plant cells, are another type of protein that is utilised as a raw material to create plant-based flour and fat. Lastly, companies employ plant-based cell lines to lessen the manufacturing of food by using less water and land while maintaining the necessary levels of protein.

Precision Fermentation

Using microorganisms as cell factories, precision fermentation enables the manufacture of animal-free proteins like collagen and egg whites. As a result, zoonotic disease risk is eliminated, and food safety ratings are raised. Furthermore, the cellag industry has serious issues with the efficiency and scalability of bioprocesses. In contrast to conventional microbial fermentation, precision fermentation technology offers higher yields and greater energy efficiency for the manufacture of protein. This is accomplished by genetically altering the organism (GMO) such that it begins to produce particular enzymes and proteins to boost yield. Startups also employ this technique to create novel, high-value proteins from a variety of animal, plant, and microbial sources. Additionally, it is employed by scientists to create novel proteins with certain functional characteristics or amino acid patterns.

Protein Engineering

Startups can create substitute proteins with nutritional profiles that are comparable to or superior to those of animal proteins, owing to advancements in protein manufacturing. Researchers can now create novel proteins rarely found in nature thanks to advancements in DNA technology and gene editing. These structures feature support matrices and 3D models for enhanced cell harvesting and catalysis. These more recent protein architectures increase tissue harvesting yields and lower fake meat production waste. Additionally, startups produce these proteins to create meat substitutes that replicate the flavour and texture of real meats. Similar to this, entrepreneurs use tools for protein design and discovery that dramatically cut down on manufacturing time by utilising artificial intelligence and big data. Protein technologies provide startups with low-impact cell lines for plant-based meats, seafood alternatives, and dairy-free milk.

Advanced Bioreactors

Continuous processing is necessary to make the generation of cultured cells and proteins on a large scale economically viable. To assure production efficiency, scalability, and control outside of pharmaceutical applications, entrepreneurs and scaleups are creating new bioreactors. Innovations such as perfusion bioreactors, modular bioreactors, and microfluidic bioreactors enable producers to reduce production costs while processing huge volumes of cells. These bioreactors also offer exact environmental control by monitoring temperature, pH, and nutrient availability with sophisticated sensors. As a result, production is optimized and yield is increased while accommodating a variety of biomaterials for different applications. Similar to natural environments, bioreactors with 3D scaffolds give cells a better chance to differentiate and function. In addition to improving tissue quality and purity, such solutions reduce the cost of downstream processes such as purification.

Bioengineered Materials

Startups are progressively creating a variety of new culture-based biomaterials, although cellular agriculture is still in its infancy. Examples of these developments in the pharmaceutical industry include vaccines, CAR-T therapy, cosmetic components, and other protein-based biologics. Startups also use cellular agriculture techniques to create environmentally friendly substitutes for current materials or to enhance the functioning of traditional materials. Additionally, scientists are growing animal skin cells to produce ethically sourced lab-grown leather that eliminates the need for virgin natural leather. Similar to bioplastics, biotextiles, and lab-grown wood, other cellular and acellular bioengineered materials also find use in packaging, medication delivery systems, and construction due to their biodegradability and adaptability.

Innovation is currently focused on cellular agriculture, and firms are already using cutting-edge technologies to mass-produce items made from cell cultures. Startups also look at new ACF sources for cell lines, growth factors, and microcarriers to make the sector more sustainable. These breakthroughs are particularly made possible by artificial intelligence-based experiment modelling, synthetic biology, renewable energy sources, and nanotechnology. Cellular agriculture is projected to play a significant role in resolving the climate and food security issues as a result of these developments.