A Chinese biopharmaceutical company has developed unprecedented technology to produce, from rice, an essential protein used to treat patients with bleeding, cancer and other serious diseases. Traditionally, this substance – called albumin – is extracted from human blood, which limits its supply.
The Wuhan -based Healthgen Biotechnology managed to use rice as a kind of “protein factory” by inserting human genes into the plant through genetic engineering. As a result, a single 25 kg rice bag is able to produce the same amount of protein found in five liters of blood plasma.
Today, the company already has the capacity to produce 10 tons per year, and the expectation is to reach 130 tons with the inauguration of a new factory in 2026. The volume represents about 25% of the amount of albumin that China imports annually – currently more than two thirds of the product comes from abroad.
As a result of nearly two decades of research, rice -derived protein has undergone clinical tests in more than 40 Chinese hospitals and has shown the same effectiveness as the version obtained from plasma. The product is expected to receive regulatory approval in June this year, paving the way for its large -scale application in the health network.
Source: https://www.chinahoje.net/china-transforma-arroz-em-fonte-de-proteina-usada-em-tratamentos-medicos/
