Water scarcity is a major global problem, still affecting several countries around the world. Designing and producing efficient systems for water desalination at low cost is then key to ensure better life conditions to millions of people. In this view, the idea to mimic Nature and to take inspiration from some mechanisms in living cells, has recently attracted attention as a promising engineering pathway. In particular, a specific family of proteins, called aquaporins (AQPs), are being studied to create bio-inspired membranes for water purification: in 2021 the company Aquaporin A/S began indeed to produce and to export water purifiers using aquaporins.