Helikon Authored
An Interview with Helikon's own Dr. Felix Moser: Artificial Life at MIT, Novel Foods, Plastic Sinks, and the Way Forward
Synthetic biologist Dr. Felix Moser reveals wide-reaching implications for synthetic biology, from fighting cancer to tackling modern sustainability issues.
Hot off the press
Megan Poinski on LinkedIn: How Biden’s biotech executive order helps the food industry
"President Biden's executive order on biotech this week gave food a passing mention. However, biotech and bioengineering are huge sections of the food industry, and there are many companies, both old and new, that rely on bioengineering to make food products that they hope are more sustainable, nutritious, tasty and cost-effective.
While much is unknown about how much funding and attention will go to biotech and bioengineered food, this much is clear: The Biden administration sees the technology that is often behind GMOs, precision fermentation and cultivated meat as vital to the future." - Megan Poinski
New tech on the horizon
Life But Not Alive
To better understand the complex biological processes that occur in cells, Kate Adamala's lab builds cell-like bioreactors that mimic live organisms. Research using these synthetic cells has implications for colonizing space, transforming the future of biotechnology and medicine, and answering questions about the origin and earliest evolution of life.
Conscious Foods and Pairwise PL innovation in the wild!
Crunchy, CRISPR vegetables are on the horizon! The world’s first CRISPR-edited salad from Conscious Foods and Pairwise PL reduces "spiciness" and maintains its nutrition and delightful texture thanks to the gene-editing technique.
Insects or algae for dinner? Optimising 3D printing can help overcome the yuck factor for new protein sources
Insects can be valuable sources of sustainable nutrition in the future, but bypassing the "yuck" factor of seeing creepy crawlies on a plate is still a challenge. Scientists use 3D printing to create a more palatable texture and appearance, hoping to shift sentiments from "yuck" to "yum!"
Cell Based Meat
CRISPR Beef: Coming To A Plate Near You Soon? - Food and Drugs Law - UK
Traditionally, the EU has taken a hard stance against GMO-cultivated meat. However, with the publication of a new report signaling a desire to revisit this regulation, could CRISPR cow meat be on the horizon?
Organoid Tech can deliver 3D tissue in cellular agriculture: 'It is a highly scalable platform that bypasses the scaffolding stage'
What do the "mysterious breeding cycles" of eels and cell culture advances have in common? They are both key motivators for the company Foresea, which aims to use 3D organoid technology to cultivate eel products for consumption.
Single-cell analysis of bovine muscle-derived cell types for cultured meat production
Cultivation of bovine skeletal muscle is a complex process, wherein the structure, organization, and number of different cell types contribute greatly to the texture and taste of the final product. Researchers at Mosa Meat and Maastricht University leverage single-cell RNA-seq to determine which conditions benefit the growth of desired cells in a bioreactor, further advancing our knowledge of cultured bovine meat.
Plants and Fungi
Giving the cold shoulder to crunchy ice cream — with a dash of cellulose - American Chemical Society
Plants fight back against grainy ice cream! ACS researchers find that the addition of cellulose provides silky smooth solutions to ice crystal formation in frozen treats.