Biomilq is the world’s first laboratory-grown human milk . Its founders now say that they have proven that the nutritional profile of Biomilq matches the hundreds of proteins, complex carbohydrates, fatty acids and other lipids "abundantly present" in breast milk.
Biomilq co-founder and chief science officer Leila Strickland started growing breast cells in a lab in 2013, but it wasn’t until 2019 that she teamed up with food scientist Michelle Egger to launch the startup Biomilq.
Biomilq
In February 2020, the couple announced that their lab-grown breast cells produced the two key components of breast milk : lactose and casein, a critical step in creating cultured breast milk that is "nutritionally equivalent" to real. And in June 2020, the couple announced that they had secured $ 3.5 million from investors, including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Bill Gates’ $ 1 billion fund focused on climate change.
The team hopes to launch the breast milk product in just over three years, once they have learned more about how cells thrive best outside the body, have verified all safety guidelines, and have obtained regulatory approval. The team is also developing strategies to reduce costs so that the product is not significantly more expensive than the formula .
However, the founders of Biomilq do not claim that their product is identical to breast milk in every way: it is not tailored to the specific needs of a baby, it does not offer the same protections for a baby’s immune system, and it does not reflect diet. of a mother. The product could especially benefit non-biological parents and babies with allergies.