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2011 NewsNovember 2011 BBSRC Case Study: The Story Behind “Super Broccoli”When Beneforté 'super broccoli' was launched onto selected UK supermarket shelves in October 2011, it represented a special achievement for UK bioscience - a consumer-focused, nutritionally-enhanced product developed over more than two decades through collaboration between two BBSRC-supported research world-class institutes and a specialist technology transfer company, part-owned by BBSRC.
October 2011 Beneforté Reaches Market in UK
The researchers used conventional breeding techniques to develop the new broccoli, which contains two to three times the level of the phytonutrient glucoraphanin than standard broccoli. Glucoraphanin is a beneficial chemical that is found naturally in broccoli and is thought to help explain the link between eating broccoli and lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer. Glucoraphanin also leads to a boost in the body’s antioxidant enzyme levels. Research highlights – health benefitsBroccoli is the only commonly eaten vegetable that contains meaningful quantities of glucoraphanin. This naturally occurring compound is converted in the gut to the bioactive compound sulforaphane, which then circulates in the bloodstream. A large body of scientific evidence indicates that sulforaphane is likely to have beneficial effects such as reducing chronic inflammation, stopping uncontrolled cell division associated with early stages of cancer, and inducing antioxidant enzymes (1). IFR and JIC Press Office PBL
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July 2011
The Model Gut business unit, owned and operated by PBL, yesterday was centre-stage during a visit to the NRP by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Dr Vince Cable. Dr Cable was in Norwich in the presence of regional business, political and scientific guests to officially open the NRP Innovation Centre. Following the official opening ceremony, the Secretary of State was shown around some of the outstanding new businesses that are leading the innovation agenda in the region. Richard Faulks of the Model Gut team, and Dr Martin Stocks of PBL, were on hand to meet the Secretary of State and explain the nature of the Model Gut’s unique technology and its tremendous value to the R&D efforts of both the Pharma and Food industries.
For more information, please contact Dr Martin Stocks.
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January 2011
Medicago has been selected to collaborate with Infectious Disease Research Institute (“IDRI”) on a multimillion dollar grant awarded to IDRI by the US Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the proposed development of a single dose H5N1 influenza vaccine which could be rapidly and widely administered in the case of avian pandemic flu outbreak. This US Department of Defense grant is for a Phase I clinical trial with an intradermal H5 vaccine in combination with IDRI's GLA adjuvant. The one year project combines Medicago's plant made H5 Virus-Like Particle vaccine with IDRI's vaccine adjuvant technology as well as a micro needle delivery device. These three technologies could enhance protection, reduce the amount of product required and simplify vaccine distribution and administration. |
The CPMV Virus |
The CPMV-HT system developed at the John Innes Centre uses elements of Cowpea Mosaic Virus to achieve high levels of heterologous protein expression in plants, without the need for virus replication. It greatly increases both the speed and efficiency of protein production in plants, without producing infectious virus particles, which is one reason why Medicago Inc have used this method of scale up production of vaccines to commercial levels. Medicago have also used the technology, a patent application for which has been filed by PBL, in the development of a vaccine against swine flu (H1N1). |
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