ISRAEL
The team at biotech company CollPlant has been able to engineer tobacco plants to produce collagen for a variety of uses.
CollPlant biotechnology engineers tobacco plants to express five human genes, which enables the plants to produce recombinant human collagen. This collagen can be used in different forms, including gels, pastes, and sponges, making it well suited to be used as a building block in 3D printing, artificial tendons, and transparent ophthalmic products.
CollPlant’s recombinant collagen is also free of infectious microbes, prions, and allergens. For example, CollPlant’s collagen-based wound filler helps wounds heal faster and eliminates the risk of allergic reactions and exposure to animal pathogens