Cambridge student wins PETA US Award for innovation in cultivated meat

Callan MacDonald, a postgraduate student at the University of Cambridge, has won PETA US’s inaugural Future Without Speciesism Award for his innovation designed to advance the cultivated meat industry. MacDonald, who hails from Northam in Devon (UK), was awarded US$2,500 (approximately £2,000) for his creation, AgriCell—a groundbreaking cell bank that addresses a major hurdle in lab-grown meat production.

The Future Without Speciesism contest challenged applicants to identify instances of speciesism—the belief that humans are superior to other animals—and develop practical solutions to reduce or eliminate the exploitation of animals. MacDonald’s winning proposal focuses on making cultivated meat development more efficient and ethical by reducing reliance on live animals.

One of the cultivated meat industry’s significant challenges has been sourcing high-quality animal cells that can reliably grow at scale. Currently, companies often have to kill animals in the hope of obtaining cells that can be successfully cultivated, making the process inconsistent and ethically problematic.

MacDonald’s AgriCell aims to solve this by establishing a cell bank that archives and preserves high-quality primary cells for meat cultivation. These cells would be genetically identical and capable of infinite replication, providing a reliable resource for researchers and developers working on cultivated meat products.

By offering a consistent supply of cells, AgriCell reduces the need to source new cells from live animals, helping the industry move towards more ethical practices. This innovation could play a critical role in scaling up lab-grown meat production, making it more accessible and commercially viable.

MacDonald’s initiative is set to be run as a nonprofit organization that will acquire and supply cells to both academic institutions and private laboratories. His goal is to support the development of cultivated meat products that do not require the ongoing use of animals.

Jeffrey Brown, Science Advisor at PETA UK, praised the initiative. “Callan’s work brings cultivated meat closer to market viability without the need for animal suffering. PETA has long supported the development of lab-grown meat as a way to reduce harm to animals, and AgriCell provides a critical piece of the puzzle for making this technology a reality.”

Market researchers predict that the cultivated meat industry could be worth nearly US$14 billion by 2043. Innovations such as AgriCell are essential for overcoming technical barriers and ensuring that the industry can scale efficiently. By providing a reliable repository of cells, AgriCell not only reduces ethical concerns but also enhances the consistency and quality of cultivated meat products.

The potential benefits extend beyond animal welfare. Cultivated meat production has the capacity to reduce the environmental impact associated with traditional meat production, such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water pollution. It may also lower the risk of zoonotic diseases, which are linked to the intensive farming of animals for food.

PETA’s Future Without Speciesism Award underscores the importance of addressing speciesism in society. Billions of animals raised for food face inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, routine mutilations without pain relief, and stressful transportation to slaughterhouses. MacDonald’s work directly challenges these practices by offering an alternative that does not rely on animal exploitation.

Reflecting on his achievement, MacDonald said, “It’s an honor to receive this award from PETA. I believe that cultivated meat has the potential to reduce animal suffering significantly, and I hope AgriCell will help make that future a reality.”