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The future of feeding is fearless, and 100% human.
how mammary biotechnology works
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Mammary epithelial cells are placed in flasks with cell culture media which has the nutrients they need to grow and be happy outside the body.
The cells absorb the nutrients and proliferate (multiply).
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Once there are enough cells, they are placed in a bioreactor, a microenvironment that recreates conditions similar to in the breast.
The cell culture media continues to pump through the bioreactor (yes, it sounds like a breast pump!) to nourish the cells as they continue to multiply and prepare to make milk.
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The cells arrange themselves in a layer around the 3D structure of the bioreactor.
This formation is similar to the physiology of the breast: the cells absorb nutrients from the mother's bloodstream from one side and secrete milk into the center of the mammary gland lobule.
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Milk-inducing cell culture media tell the cells it's time to make milk.
The cells continue to absorb the nutrients from one side and secrete milk to the other. This separation reduces the need for purification.
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The milk is collected and tested to ensure tip top safety for your baby.
This new infant feeding option provides much of the nutrition of breastmilk to support your baby's growth and your peace of mind.
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The production of milk within the mammary
gland is an elegantly orchestrated process that
converts food from the mother’s environment
into food for her young. Despite the dramatic
differences in scale and the high level of
compositional variability of milks across
mammalian species, the physiology that underlies
the process of milk production is remarkably consistent.
During pregnancy, milk-making cells (called mammary epithelial cells) multiply in number dramatically in preparation for lactation. When the baby is born, shifts in the mother's blood chemistry trigger
the onset of milk production—we're in awe!
We are currently in the first trimester of product development, working diligently to bring this product to life—ensuring tip top safety is our top priority when nourishing tiny humans.
If you're interested in getting involved, we're always looking for new breast friends.
a note from our co-founder and CEO
Leila Strickland, PhD
"Here's a bit on my background (nerd alert!):
The molecular mechanics used by all animal cells to control
physical behaviors in space and time are fundamental at an
evolutionary level and highly conserved across species. As a
Ph.D. student, I researched sea urchin eggs as a model system to
learn about how the events of cell division are spatially and
temporally coordinated. The eggs of sea urchins are large,
spherical, and optically transparent, so with the right microscope,
you can watch the machinery of cell division assemble and divide
the cell in two—so beautiful!
Milk biosynthesis is a secretory process that, similarly to cell division, requires spatial orientation of the cell and coordination of multiple structures to ensure that components are delivered to the appropriate location at the appropriate time, and our process leverages these fundamental aspects of cell biology.
While feeding my son at the end of my post-doc it was clear that there was world-changing potential in harnessing my scientific understanding of cells and the evolutionary powerhouses of the human body—mammary cells—to make milk for millions of mothers in need!"
