Lab Grown Breast Milk

A number of companies are working on finding a more natural alternative to baby formula, and one recently announced that it has successfully grown two key components of breast milk – lactose and casein – in a laboratory setting.

Devices known as bioreactors are often used to grow cultures of mammary cells for research. These cells are capable of producing milk; however, they are usually cultivated in a liquid medium, making it necessary to filter out the milk and distill it. The company’s breakthrough is a patent-pending process that eliminates the need for a media bath.

The product is still in the early stages of development and samples are currently being tested to confirm the nutritional profile. While lab grown breast milk will not contain antibodies that come from the mother, it would be nutritionally superior to traditional formula and easier for babies to digest.