Jen Keane’s claim to fame is that she grew a shoe using bacteria, coaxing the microbes to deposit their nanocellulosic materials in the shape of a sneaker. But she’s kind of over that. Her startup, Modern Synthesis, still uses bacteria to grow nanocellulose fibers, but then it harvests and processes them to create a range of different materials. The new approach is more like weaving cotton into denim for jeans. Her sneaker experiment, on the other hand, was a bit like persuading a cotton plant to deposit its fibers into the shape of a pair of pants. Cool, but not as easily scalable. Modern Synthesis’s fibers can be manipulated in ways that simple plant fibers cannot. They can be spread into a thin, wind-resistant film or textured to mimic high-quality leather, said Keane, Modern Synthesis’s CEO. In that way, they’re more like synthetic materials like polyester and polyurethane. The difference, though, is that Modern Synthesis’s nanocellulose materials are ultimately biodegradable. Read more on Modern Synthesis at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Tim De Chant Image Credits: Modern Synthesis #TechCrunch #technews #startup #founder #biotech #biomaterials