Diabetes Drug from Tobacco Plants
Researchers from Europe had produced tobacco plants containing anti-inflammatory protein called nterleukin-10 (IL 10) that could help type 1 diabetes patients and other autoimmune diseases. The scientists from University of Verona have found a healthy use of tobacco plants after breeding genetically modified plants containing medicine that could help type 1 diabetic patients. This is an advancement in the molecular farming, which may offer millions of patients a cheaper drugs and medicines. According to the researchers who published his article in the BMC Biotechnology, believed that these plants could grow more efficiently in fields , since they are cost effective protein producers. Further, tobacco plants can be easily transformed genetically and a plant can be easily regenerated from a single cell, he said. The Researchers have planned to feed the plants to mice with autoimmune diseases to find out how they respond. Further, the researchers want to test whether small doses could help prevent diabetes with people when combined with another compound called glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), which is also made from tobacco plants. One has to wait till end of 2009 for the researchers to submit their drug for regulatory approval.
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