The Cellular Agriculture Revolution

The Cellular Agriculture Revolution is designed for undergraduate students as the foundation to the various biological and chemical processes used to produce cell-based meat. The class will comprise a mixture of instruction, guest speakers and student presentations. Lectures will cover the state of the art techniques for alternative protein production and identify key hurdles to scalability. Weekly guest speakers will expose students to entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovative startups developing sustainable and marketable alternative proteins. The course will also introduce the environmental, ethical, and economic drivers behind the mission of alternative protein science and technology. We will culminate the class by having students identify white spaces in the cell-based meat industry and pitch scientific, creative solutions during a mock startup competition. This class was organized and developed by The Chapel Hill Alt Protein Project, a student initiative of The Good Food Institute (GFI). GFI is a global nonprofit working to accelerate the development of plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived alternatives to conventional meat, eggs, and dairy. The Chapel Hill Alt Protein Project is creating a vibrant and robust community for alternative protein research and innovation at UNC-Chapel Hill. The group is one of over fifteen Alt Protein Projects at universities across the world, all dedicated to building alt protein awareness, developing alt protein education, and engaging faculty to do alt protein research. The Cellular Agriculture Revolution course is one of four alt protein courses taught in universities globally, leading the way for alt protein to become a norm in academic settings worldwide.