Biomanufacturing human milk components to improve early-life nutrition

BIOMILQ: Innovating Sustainable Nutrition for Infants

Cell biologist Leila Strickland, CEO and co-founder of BIOMILQ, came up with the idea of growing human mammary cells outside breast tissue to produce milk during her maternity leave. Recognizing the challenges of breastfeeding and the limited options available, Strickland aimed to provide alternative solutions for infant nutrition. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize the importance of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages, including infants. By addressing the issue of access to breast milk, BIOMILQ contributes to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Improving Access to Breast Milk

Breast milk is widely regarded as the optimal food for infants, but many factors can prevent access to it. In the United States, only a quarter of babies receive the recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding¹. BIOMILQ recognizes the need for more options and aims to provide the early-life nutrition industry with innovative solutions that replicate the beneficial components of breast milk. This aligns with SDG 2: Zero Hunger, which emphasizes the importance of ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all.

Revolutionizing Infant Formula

While infant formulas are life-saving products, they fall short in delivering the full benefits of breast milk. Most formulas are based on cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or soy proteins and lack the unique functional components found in human breast milk. BIOMILQ combines the emerging understanding of breast milk with biotechnology to offer the early-life nutrition industry a new approach. By incorporating the SDGs, particularly SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, BIOMILQ aims to create sustainable and nutritious alternatives to traditional infant formulas.

Unlocking the Potential of Breast Milk

BIOMILQ’s biomanufacturing technology platform revolves around a proprietary bank of human mammary epithelial cells. These cells, obtained from donated breast milk, offer a diverse range of attributes and capabilities. BIOMILQ’s researchers have been characterizing and optimizing these cells to produce functionally important human milk components. This aligns with SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, which emphasizes the importance of promoting sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.

Biomanufacturing Human Osteopontin

One of the key components BIOMILQ focuses on is human milk osteopontin (OPN), a bioactive protein that plays a crucial role in infant development. BIOMILQ’s OPN, produced by human mammary epithelial cells, differs from other versions found in the body and bovine OPN. By harnessing the unique capabilities of mammary epithelial cells, BIOMILQ aims to create a more bio-authentic version of OPN. This aligns with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, as it contributes to improving infant development and overall health.

Partnering for Progress

BIOMILQ is actively seeking global partners in the early-life nutrition and ingredients industries to develop downstream-processing approaches. These approaches will enable the incorporation of bio-authentic human milk components into infant formula. By collaborating with partners, BIOMILQ aims to scale up production and ensure the widespread availability of their innovative products. This aligns with SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, which emphasizes the importance of collaboration to achieve sustainable development.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger

   • Target 2.2: By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age
   • Indicator: Percentage of infants receiving exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months

2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
   • Indicator: Neonatal mortality rate and under-5 mortality rate

3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   • Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
   • Indicator: Material footprint, ecological footprint

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
   • Indicator: Number of partnerships and cooperation agreements

Source: nature.com