Brewing a Pint with Proteins

Imagine biting into a juicy hamburger that never required a farm, slaughterhouse or hefty carbon footprint. ‘Cultivated’ meat - real meat grown from animal cells - is becoming reality, but one big challenge is getting the texture right. I’m researching how to turn waste from the beer-making industry into ‘scaffolding’ for cultivated meat. By recycling brewing leftovers, we could create more realistic, affordable and sustainable steaks. Find out how your next pint could be the key to guilt-free dinners!

For thousands of years, silk has been prized for its strength and versatility. Today, we can go further — using genetic engineering to “brew” silk-like proteins in bacteria. Combining silk with natural proteins like elastin (which keeps our skin stretchy), we create materials that are strong, flexible, biodegradable, and biocompatible. Come along to discover how these nature-inspired proteins could improve medical care. (Spoiler alert: they can even kill bugs!)