Tobacco plants can be used to produce an anti-inflammatory protein that can have powerful therapeutic potential for treating conditions like Type-2 diabetes, stroke, dementia and arthritis, more effectively and at an affordable price, researchers say.
The plants are being used to produce large quantities of a human protein called Interleukin 37, or IL-37.
The protein is naturally produced in the human kidney in very small quantities and has powerful anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing properties, providing potential for treating a number of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders like type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia and arthritis.
“This protein is a master regulator of inflammation in the body, and has been shown in pre-clinical models to be effective in treating a whole host of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases,” said Tony Jevnikar, Professor at Western.
“The plants offer the potential to produce pharmaceuticals in a way that is much more affordable than current methods,” said Shengwu Ma, a scientist at Lawson.
“Tobacco is high-yield, and we can temporarily transform the plant so that we can begin making the protein of interest within two weeks.” he added.
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