Deforestation goodbye? The invention of the MIT that allows you to grow the wood without breaking down the trees

Farewell chainsaw! Imagine a world where a single tree is no longer necessary to build a house or furniture. It looks like science fiction, but it is the promise of Foray Biosciencea mit startup that has developed one revolutionary biotechnology to cultivate wood in the laboratory.

Ashley Beckwithyoung scientist and founder of the company, has transformed her passion for nature into a mission: Save the forests of the planet thanks to biofabbbrication.

Raised among the forests of the Colorado, Beckwith assisted the first person to the progressive destruction of natural habitats due to wild urbanization. Her passion for botany and concern for the future of the planet have pushed her to take a path of studies in MIT mechanical engineering, where she achieved a doctorate of research. It is precisely during the years of the doctorate who began to mature the idea of ​​a sustainable alternative to the traditional production of wood.

In 2022, Beckwith founded Foray Bioscience with the aim of developing and marketing its invention: a technology that allows you to “Grow” the wood in the laboratory starting from plant cells. The arboreal species chosen for the experiments is the black poplarwidely used in the wood industry for fiber production.

But how exactly does this technology work? The process begins with the extraction of cells lives from poplar leaves. These cells come immersed in a liquid broth full of nutrientswhich favors its growth and multiplication. Afterwards, the cells come transferred to a special gel containing two vegetable hormonesauxina and cytokinin. These hormones act as “chemical messengers“, Inducing the cells to differentiate and organize themselves in three -dimensional structures similar to wood.

The peculiarity of this process is that It can be modulated to obtain different types of woodwith specific characteristics of resistance, density and flexibility. Furthermore, It is possible to “program” cells to produce substances of commercial interestsuch as essential oils, fragrances for perfumes or chemical compounds with medicinal properties. “Trees are real biochemical factories“, Backwith explained. “They contain a myriad of precious molecules that can be used to produce drugs, cosmetics and bioplastic.”

The cultivation of wood in the laboratory offers numerous advantages compared to traditional methods. First of all, allows you to get high quality wood without having to break down treesthus helping to preserve forests and biodiversity. In addition, the process is much faster: Cells grow in the laboratory up to 100 times faster than nature. This means that it is possible to obtain wood in much shorter times, reducing production costs and environmental impact.

Another non -negligible advantage is the possibility of precision the characteristics of the wood produced. In the laboratory, it is possible to “design” wood according to specific needs, obtaining materials with improved properties in terms of resistance, hardness and fire resistance.

Foray Bioscience’s biotechnology is now being developed. The company is working to optimize the production process and make it economically competitive on a large scale. “Our challenge is that of reduce costs and make the wood grown in the laboratory accessible to everyone“, Says Beckwith.

The long -term goal is to create a sustainable wood industry, which no longer depends on the exploitation of forest resources. “We want to offer a valid alternative to traditional wood, which allows you to meet the needs of the market without compromising the balance of our planet“, Backwith concludes.

Foray Bioscience has already collected 3 million dollars in funding by several investors, including Regen Ventures, The Engine Ventures And Susquehanna Sustainable Investments. These funds will allow the company to expand their research team, improve technology and start production on a pilot scale.