Medical Device Link.

Industry Intelligence: research update

Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology have genetically modified the dandelion plant, optimising it for natural latex production. Suited for large-scale rubber production, the strain of the Russian dandelion could eventually become a prominent source of latex for medical applications. Though latex is used in an array of medical products ranging from catheter tubing to surgical gloves, both synthetic latex and natural latex made from tree rubber can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. The latex made from the Russian dandelion, however, has been shown to not cause allergic reactions in preliminary testing on humans.

Though Germans, Russians and Americans produced rubber from the dandelion during the Second World War, the latex that seeps out of the plant’s stems upon harvest polymerises immediately, making it difficult to use industrially. Fraunhofer scientists identified the enzyme responsible for the rapid polymerisation and deactivated it. “If the plant is cut, the latex flows out [of the genetically modified dandelion] instead of being polymerised,” says Professor Dr. Dirk Prüfer, Head of Department at the Fraunhofer IME. “We obtain four to five times the amount we would normally,” he says. “If the plants were to be cultivated on a large scale, every hectare would produce 500 to 1000 kilograms of latex per growing season.”
www.fraunhofer.de