The Development Of Cell Cotton Gossypium Is Of Great Significance To Environmental Protection

Cotton (scientific name: Gossypium) is an important economic crop, and its fiber is one of the most important natural raw materials in the textile industry. The planting and processing of cotton has a profound impact on the global economy.

In recent years, with the development of science and technology, people began to explore the possibility of cultivating cotton fiber in the laboratory. This technology is called "cell cotton" or "Literally Cotton".

Cell cotton is the cotton fiber cultivated in the laboratory environment through biotechnology. This method does not need the soil, pesticides and a large amount of water resources required for traditional cotton planting, so it has little impact on the environment.

The cultivation process of celled cotton usually includes extracting stem cells from cotton plants, then propagating in nutrient solution, and finally differentiating into cotton fibers.

This method is expected to reduce carbon emissions and water consumption during cotton production, while improving the yield and quality of cotton fiber.

Galy, an American start-up company, is one of the pioneers of cell cotton technology Cotton cells. Galy's technology has been used by Breakthrough Energy, a breakthrough energy investment fund under Bill Gates Support from several investment institutions including Ventures (BEV).

　　Galy A series of different cotton plants will be planted in the greenhouse first, then cut off a part of the plant, take out the stem cells, put them into a container full of nutrient solution to breed, and then differentiate into cotton fiber in another container. (See the figure below)

Because stem cells can be transformed into any part of the plant, Galy's method is not to cultivate the whole cotton plant, but to directly transform the cells into cotton fiber.

This way also greatly improves production efficiency. It takes about 180 days to plant cotton in traditional agriculture, but it only takes 18 days to use Galy's method, and the growth rate is 10 times faster than traditional planting.

Above: Bioreactor used in cotton cultivation

"Cell cotton" reaches the purity standard of medical grade

Cell cotton "is used in cosmetic cotton, bed sheets, medical and consumer grade gauze, absorbent cotton and other products. Length, strength and purity are the criteria for cotton procurement.

In terms of purity, Galy's "cell cotton" can reach the medical grade purity standard because it grows in the laboratory rather than in the open air, which is also an important step to confirm its future commercial potential.

In 2020, Galy established the company's first self owned laboratory and produced the first "cell cotton" in 2021, named Literally Cotton.

In addition, fast fashion giants H&M Group and Inditex Group also participated in the investment in Galy, showing the potential application prospect of cell cotton technology in the clothing industry.

The development of cell cotton technology is not only important for environmental protection, but also provides a new direction for the sustainable development of cotton industry.

With the continuous progress of technology and the realization of large-scale production, cell cotton is expected to become an important supplement to traditional cotton in the future, and may even subvert the traditional cotton industry. However, at present, the cell cotton technology is still in the research and development stage, and its large-scale application in the clothing industry needs further research and market verification.

In academic research, the development process and molecular mechanism of cotton fiber have always been the focus of research.

Cotton fiber is differentiated from the epidermal cells of the outer integument of the ovule, and its development process includes initiation, elongation, secondary wall thickening, dehydration and maturation. By studying the cytoskeleton, cell wall relaxation, vesicle transport and other processes of cotton fiber, scientists have revealed the mechanism of polar growth of cotton fiber cells.

In addition, the research on the gene function of cotton is also ongoing, aiming at improving cotton through genetic engineering, and improving its yield and fiber quality.

To sum up, the development of cell cotton technology has brought new opportunities for the cotton industry, but also challenges the traditional cotton production mode. With the maturity of technology and the acceptance of the market, cell cotton is expected to play a greater role in the future.

Galy's "cell agriculture" Agriculture) has made initial progress in cotton. After financing, on the one hand, it will continue the follow-up research and development of "cell cotton", on the other hand, it also hopes to create a broader Galy Innovate the cell agriculture platform, and apply the successful cases of cotton to the development of other sustainable crops.