MIT Grad Grows Plants from Single Cells to Save Species

Imagine growing a tree without planting a seed, building wood without cutting down a forest, or saving an endangered plant species using just a handful of cells.

That's exactly what Ashley Beckwith is doing with her company Foray Bioscience. The MIT graduate developed a way to grow any plant or plant product from single cells in a lab, using artificial intelligence to speed up the process.

The need for this technology is urgent. Around 45 percent of plant species face extinction, yet humans depend on plants more than ever for medicine, food, beauty products, and building materials.

Take the soapbark tree from Chile. Indigenous communities have used its bark as medicine for generations, and scientists recently discovered it contains compounds that boost the human immune system. These molecules now help make malaria vaccines and improve effectiveness of treatments for shingles, Covid-19, and cancer. But overharvesting nearly wiped out the species, forcing Chile's government to restrict logging.

Beckwith saw this pattern repeating across the world. She returned to MIT for her PhD to find a solution, asking herself: "What if we could grow plant materials the same way scientists hope to grow human organs for transplants?"

Her breakthrough came when she successfully grew wood-like material in a lab. By adjusting specific chemicals, she could control properties like stiffness and density without harming a single tree.

Foray Bioscience now works with researchers, nurseries, and conservation groups to develop molecules, materials, and fabricated seeds. In one project, the company partnered with West Coast Chestnut nursery to restore disease-resistant chestnut trees that once filled Eastern U.S. forests before being nearly eliminated by blight.

The Ripple Effect

Beckwith's work goes far beyond saving individual species. Her technology could transform entire industries while protecting fragile ecosystems.

The traditional approach of extracting plant products from nature often damages or destroys the source. Foray's method flips this model, building products from the cell up instead of extracting from the top down. This means companies can produce what they need without depleting wild populations.

The AI-powered platform dramatically shortens development timelines too. "We want to shorten plant development timelines, so solutions can be built in months, not decades," Beckwith explains. What once took years of breeding and growing can now happen in a lab in a fraction of the time.

The implications stretch across multiple sectors. Pharmaceutical companies could produce rare medicinal compounds without threatening source plants. Furniture makers could grow sustainable wood materials. Conservation groups could restore extinct or endangered species before it's too late.

Beckwith's vision extends to the foundation of life itself: "Plant systems underpin every aspect of our daily lives, from the air we breathe to the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the homes we live in, and more."

From a rare Chilean tree that saves lives to the mighty chestnuts returning to American forests, Foray Bioscience is proving we don't have to choose between human needs and plant survival.