Blood From a Plant

Dateline: 08/05/99

Biotechnology and genetic engineering have long promised to revolutionize the biological sciences. Recent research at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory of the Department of Energy may bring this promise to fruition. The research focuses on using plants to produce human blood components.

In the experiments, tobacco plants were modified to produce human blood components. The necessary human genes were transplanted into the tobacco plants. Among the substances and factors produced were thrombin, factor XIII, and coagulation factor VIII.

Traditionally, these blood factors are made from blood plasma or through the cultivation of certain types of mammal cells. These procedures can be more risky when compared to the production using plants. Producing blood components using plants prevents the spread of diseases that may go undetected in human plasma.

The cost savings can also be enormous. The researchers estimate that the production through the use of plants could be from eight to ten times cheaper than current production methods.

Unlike production from humans, the production from the tobacco plant provides a stable source over time. The purified amounts of the substances are also much higher.

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