Headlines about the state of Earth sound like a verse from Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire:
"Methane leaks, rising tides, forests burn, the coral dies."
"Floods rage, carbon tax, politicians dodge the facts."
"Amazon's a logging site, climate talks just spark a fight."
"Act now, change is late, 1.5 will seal our fate!"
Yet, amidst the chaos, innovation is offering hope. Around the world, pioneering companies are developing green technologies to reduce human impact on the planet. One place at the forefront of this movement is Cambridge, UK - home to a thriving community of companies redefining renewable energy, sustainability, and efficiency. Among them is Uncommon, a start-up founded and headquartered here, that aims to revolutionise pork production for the sake of both human health and the environment.
Cultivated meat: a game-changer for the planet?
Pork is the most widely consumed meat globally, but industrial
pig farming is recognised as a major contributor to water scarcity
and greenhouse gas emissions1. Additionally, livestock
farming relies heavily on antibiotics, fuelling the rise of
antibiotic resistance.
Lab-grown or cultivated meat has emerged as a green solution to
these issues. Cultivated meat has the potential to enhance animal
welfare, slash global greenhouse gas emissions, and cut water use
while providing an increase in available protein for the
world's growing population2
What the oink! What is cultivated meat?
Lab-grown or cultivated meat refers to meat that is produced
using cell culturing techniques rather than conventional livestock
farming. Cultivated meat differs from plant-based alternatives by
being composed of animal tissue – it is simply generated in
the lab rather than meat obtained from animals.
Uncommon
leverages cell culturing techniques to alter and direct samples of
pig cells to develop into pork for human consumption. Their process
begins by reprogramming pig cells into induced pluripotent stem
cells (iPSCs), an undifferentiated cell type capable of developing
into any cell type including the various components of pork, such
as fat and muscle. This is possible because every cell in an
individual contains the same DNA3; the difference
between the appearance and function of cells lies in which genes
are switched 'on' or 'off'. By reprogramming which
genetic switches are 'on' or 'off', Uncommon can
guide the cells to become a different cell type, providing the
building blocks of authentic tasting bacon and pork belly.
For those interested in the science, Uncommon uses patent-pending mRNA molecules to reprogram pig
somatic cells into iPSCs and to induce differentiation towards fat
and muscle cells that form the pork products. Importantly, since
mRNA naturally degrades and does not integrate into the genome,
Uncommon's cultivated pork is not classified as genetically
modified, ensuring a smooth regulatory path to market.
The iPSCs are grown with Uncommon's proprietary growth media
formulations, to produce a large population of cells. Culture takes
place in specialized bioreactors, large vessels that continuously
monitor and adjust conditions like temperature, pH, and metabolite
levels to optimize growth.
Scaling innovation for a sustainable future
The use of mRNA to reprogram somatic cells into
iPSCs is not new to Uncommon; those familiar with the history of
genomics will know that the phenomenon of reprogramming has been
around since the early 2010s, following the pioneering work of Shinya Yamanaka and Sir John B. Gurdon.
However, Uncommon has developed and optimised the
scaling of this process for making pork, making it more sustainable
and commercially viable.
In particular, Uncommon were among the first companies to
integrate large-scale bioreactor vessels that constantly measure
temperature, pH, metabolite levels, etc. as part of their
manufacturing process. These bioreactor vessels are becoming more
sustainable, increasingly relying on renewable energy sources -
progress that Uncommon is keen to leverage. Their novel mRNA-based
methods also lower energy consumption, making cell growth and
differentiation more sustainable.
Outlook for the green tech sphere
Cultivated meat is still in its early stages, but its potential to cut emissions, reduce land use, and integrate with renewable energy puts it in a prime position within the Green Tech sphere. As Uncommon continues to refine its methods and scale production, the promise of guilt-free, environmentally friendly bacon becomes one step closer to reality.
Footnotes
1. Steinfeld, H., Gerber, P., Wassenaar, T., Castel, V., Rosales, M. and de Haan, C. (2006) Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. Executive Summary. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome.
2. Sinke, P., Swartz, E., Sanctorum, H. et al. Correction: Ex-ante life cycle assessment of commercial-scale cultivated meat production in 2030. Int J Life Cycle Assess 28, 1225–1228 (2023).
3. Yes, we know about gametes and immune cells but we're keeping it simple!
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