Bezos funds US$30m sustainable protein lab at Imperial College

Article by Adam Duckett

Brendan Foster Photography

Director of the new centre, Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro (middle, left), said: “Imperial is uniquely positioned to harness the potential of engineering biology to accelerate the alt-protein revolution and transform global food systems.”

Fermentation and lab-grown meat key to revolutionising food production

A US$30m centre for sustainable protein has been launched at Imperial College London as engineers work to develop the processes and new foods needed to reduce the harmful impacts of food production.

Funded by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos through his US$10bn Earth Fund, the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein will work to advance research into precision fermentation, cultivated meat, bioprocessing, automation, AI, and machine learning.

Director of the new centre, Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, who has a background in chemical engineering and biotechnology, said: “The global challenge that the centre will focus on is the creation of food that is both environmentally friendly and accessible to everyone.”

There is an urgent need to make food production more sustainable and resilient to the impacts of climate change. A study published in Nature Food in 2021, estimated that food systems are responsible for 34% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking at the centre’s launch, Imperial vice-provost Mary Ryan said: “We are faced with this double threat: our food systems are uniquely vulnerable and uniquely causing the climate crisis.”