A new crop of tobacco plants is being grown in the perfectly controlled atmosphere deep in the Kent countryside – an atmosphere of a brick-proof, hermetically sealed greenhouse.
Though the plants do not look unusual, it is extraordinary in its merits. Every cell of every of these plants churns out tiny quantities of an experimental drug. This is ensured by a genetic tweak. If harvested in mass scale, they could lead to the production of cheap medicine catering to the millions.
The genetically modified tobacco plant is farmed in the process called pharming — a £8m project — could provide a powerful weapon against the HIV pandemic of Africa. Once successful, each plant will be capable of providing 20 doses of an anti-HIV drug, which is enough to protect a woman from infection for up to three months.
Via: The Guardian
