Purdue News

March 19, 1999 Biotech projects: from vaccines in food to better wood WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Biotechnology is quickly changing the way farmers grow soybeans and pharmaceutical companies develop medicines. But these applications are just the first wave of an ocean of new developments that research in biotechnology can bring, says Randy Woodson, director of the Office of Agricultural Research Programs at the Purdue University School of Agriculture. "This technology has the potential to change much of how we go about our everyday lives, just as electronic broadcasting or the computer industry have done," Woodson says. "But because we will be seeing improvements in medicine and agriculture, major steps forward in our health and nutrition, one could argue that biotechnology will be even more significant." Woodson says the scientists at Purdue are aggressively staking out a place in this rapidly evolving field. "We have literally hundreds of biotechnology research projects going on, and every one of them has the potential to solve a social problem or provide an economic opportunity," he says. "Purdue is a prominent leader in the field of life science research and biotechnology, and the benefits of that leadership will affect the citizens of Indiana first in new jobs." Woodson says these are just a few of the research projects at Purdue in biotechnology: Vaccines in plants: Viruses can only be fought with vaccines, and that means illnesses such as the common cold, which can be caused by any of hundreds of viruses, are not fought at all. Avtar Handa, professor of horticulture, and Suresh Mittal, assistant professor of molecular virology, are looking at using genetically modified plants to deliver vaccines to animals and humans. The idea is that by increasing the number of antibodies (anti-viral compounds) in the mouth and throat, diseases that are commonly fought by mucosal antibodies in these areas will have a tougher time getting past the natural defenses. Fighting cancer: Cancer cells have many tricks, but one of the most confounding is that after they absorb anti-cancer drugs, the cells can actually spew out the drugs before they take effect. To understand how cancer cells do this -- and how to block it -- scientists need to have a better understanding of how substances pass through cell membranes. Mark Hermodson, head of the Department of Biochemistry, has isolated the genes for the proteins of the cell membranes that are normally found in impossibly small quantities and has used biotechnology to make large enough quantities of those proteins so that scientists can study them. Genetic basis to behavior: Professor Bill Muir of the Department of Animal Sciences has been able to breed a kinder, gentler chicken using traditional breeding practices. This is big news to the poultry industry, because chickens are notorious for establishing sometimes lethal pecking orders. But now Muir has developed what he calls the Mean, Bad Bird. Muir hopes to use this bird in combination with the kinder bird to isolate the genes that may lead to harmful or aggressive behavior. Because the location of genes is often the same across many species (a concept known as "gene conservation") these chickens may point to abnormal behavior genes in humans. Functional foods: Food scientist Bruce Watkins is looking at boosting certain components of foods to create "functional foods" that improve human health. He's focusing on estrogens and antioxidants produced by plants to reduce cancer and improve bone strength. Stopping fungi in food: Many fungi on plants produce toxic substances called mycotoxins. Crops such as peanuts, corn and wheat can be contaminated by mycotoxins before harvesting. These fungi can cause severe diseases in livestock and are suspected as possible carcinogens in the human diet. Charles Woloshuk, professor of botany, has isolated the genes involved in the production of two common mycotoxins, aflatoxin and fumonisin. Woloshuk says he hopes that plants soon can be bioengineered to inhibit these deadly fungi. Cleaner paper: Paper manufacturers use harsh chemicals to break down lignin in wood. Lignin is the substance that makes wood rigid. Clint Chapple, associate professor of biochemistry, has found genes that allow plants to make more of a type of lignin that is easier to break down, which would reduce chemical use by the paper industry. Sources: Randy Woodson, (765) 494-8362;wrw@aes.purdue.edu Avtar Handa, (765) 494-1339; handa@hort.purdue.edu Mark Hermodson, (765) 494-1637; hermodson@biochem.purdue.edu Bill Muir, (765) 494-8032; bmuir@purdue.edu Bruce Watkins, (765) 494-5802; watkins@foodsci.purdue.edu Charles Woloshuk, (765) 494-3450; woloshuk@btny.purdue.edu Clint Chapple, (765) 494-0494; chapple@biochem.purdue.edu Writer: Steve Tally, (765) 494-9809; tally@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page