Doctors Want To Make Tobacco Into Medicine
Plant's Genes Modified To Fight Diabetes
POSTED: Thursday, March 19, 2009
  |
Tobacco has a reputation for causing heart trouble, lung issues and a variety of cancers.But it could also be used to produce medicine, some scientists say.Researchers led by Mario Pezzotti of the University of Verona genetically modified tobacco plants to produce two forms of interleuken-10, which can fight inflammation.Next, they plan to feed the plants to mice with autoimmune diseases to find out how effective they are at treating the problems, even without lengthy processing of the leaves.A news release on the work said that it could help with conditions such as type 1 diabetes.Pezzotti said that it makes sense to try to use plants to deliver medication because they can be produced at low cost and don't need to be purified before delivery.The research was published in the open access journal BMC Biotechnology.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The views expressed are not those of News4Jax.com, WJXT or its affiliated companies. This is a community moderated forum. (Please note the 'Like' and 'Report' tabs.) By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Kay Wardlow said her dog Lucy is a cuddly puppy whose sweet tooth nearly burned down her owner's entire home.
Authorities release the jailhouse calls of a former member of the group Equusearch, who is accused of selling prescription pills along with others involved in the life of and search for Haleigh Cummings.
The Discovery Channel says the captain of the "Deadliest Catch" fishing vessel Cornelia Marie has died.
An Arlington dentist is behind bars after authorities say he was trafficking in prescription drugs.
Homicide detectives are at the scene of a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon in the Spring Park neighborhood, but the victim was actually found in a wrecked pickup truck a few blocks away on Emerson Street.
Exactly one year ago, Misty Cummings last saw 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings in their Satsuma home. The newest development in the investigation are a review of jailhouse interviews with five people connected to Haleigh now in jail on drug charges, including Donna Brock, a former employee with Equusearch. 
A local private investigator talks about some of the warning signs that your spouse is cheating. (Part 2)
An Arlington Dentist is ARRESTED -- accused of doing some dirty dealing, when he's not filling cavities.
Police say he's been trading prescriptions for CRACK COCAINE.
Channel 4's Jason law spoke with some neighbors and PATIENTS of the accused dentist tonight.
From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Southland Recycling will be at Channel 4 accepting personal papers for shredding.
5 years today, 12 year old Mark Degner and 13 year old Bryan Hayes were last seen and at Paxon Middle School. The family is still passing out flyers and holding out hope.
Capturing N.E. Florida's wanted suspects is a tough task, so the local station is trying to help with the Wheel of Justice. Every Thursday morning, the wheel spins and a wanted fugitive is profiled.
Images: Fugitives On 'Wheel'
To mark the release of the first season of "The Patty Duke Show" on DVD, let's take a look back at the Hollywood legend's life and career.
Channel 4 viewers document the heavy rain, hail and damage from a line of storms and possible tornadoes that came through northeast Florida and southeast Georgia.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
