Cracking the climeat conflict

Industrial meat production currently accounts for at least 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, and occupies around two-thirds of all arable land. Lab-grown non-vegetable meat, fish or dairy alternatives produced in fermenters instead of on fields therefore have the potential to improve the negative environmental impact of traditional meat production dramatically. New gas-to-protein processes even promise to completely decouple food production from land and sea use. How sustainable are new protein production schemes?

In this issue:

Waivers and justice
At the sold-out Swiss Biotech Day, experts from the biotech industry warned against eroding patent protection, saying a pandemic-related exception under the TRIPS waiver could quickly turn into a general stand. 100 of the 164 WTO member states are currently pushing to relax patent protections, saying it will help eliminate inequalities in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Spatial multiomics – the next Big Thing?
Single-cell approaches are coming of age, and next up is expanding our knowledge of the bigger picture with what are known as spatial multiomics. The field has been hailed for several innovations, but it’s still early days. Smaller firms are fighting for a piece of the pie, while industry majors wait warily in the wings.

Interview
Olivier Rolland, Managing Director of Toulouse White Biotech (TWB)

Nation profile:
Biotech in Switzerland

Special: Biofairs Compass