Tobacco isn't the first plant many people think of when it comes to good health. However, advances in plant genetic engineering have given new hope and prospects for the future of this plant in area of human health.
Led by Professor Mario Pezzoti at the University of Verona, a large team scientists from many European institutions have come together to explore the potential of transgenic tobacco to produce active biopharmaceuticals. Professor Pezotti and his team set out to create bioactive Interleukin-10 (IL-10), a powerful anti-inflammatory cytokine, in transgenic tobacco tissues.
Two different sources of the IL-10 gene were investigated, one viral and one from a mouse, as well as different targeting compartments within each cell. the researchers found that the transgenic plants were able to produce both types of IL-10 equally, and at a high enough level that the leaves themselves might be usable without a lengthy extraction and purification process to access the desired protein. the next step will be to feed these plant tissues to mice with auto-immune disorders to see if the IL-10 proteins are useful in this form.
With this advance in using transgenic tobacco to produce active forms of biopharmacueticals, there is hope that plants may become biofactories in the future, creating many types of useful proteins related to health applications for a fraction of the cost of modern factories.
Original Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090318211236.htm
