The Plant Age Has Arrived

Producing milk without cows, printing organs from plant collagen, fast-growing trees, and biodegradable food packaging – emerging technologies that utilize the qualities of plants and solve environmental problems. This is the path to an age in which plants can produce almost anything we want

At times, the most significant discoveries are, were achieved by mistakes. That’s what happened to Prof. Oded Shoseyov, then a young faculty member at the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agriculture, when he tried to solve a seemingly simple problem: creating tangerines with fewer seeds. “We were working on a gene in the protein encoder that we thought could inhibit the growth of the pollen tube, thereby preventing fertilization process and the creation of seeds”, Prof. Shoseyov recalls, “but we discovered that the result was exactly the opposite – the protein accelerated the growth of the pollen tube which resulted in more seeds…”.

This mistake, which initially seemed like a failure, opened the door to a new world of possibilities. It led to the development of a technology for genetically engineered eucalyptus trees that grow much faster. About 15 years ago, ‘FuturaGene,’ founded by Prof. Shoseyov, was purchased for 100 million dollars by ‘Suzano,’ the largest Brazilian company for growing forest trees and manufacturing paper in the world. Today, millions of these trees grow at an accelerated rate in the rain forests of Brazil, enabling to produce more significant quantities of paper on a smaller tract of land. “That failure changed my life”, says Prof. Shoseyov, “and I also understood that plants can serve as biological factories for producing advanced materials”.

From Traditional Agriculture to Biological Innovation

Since then, Prof. Shoseyov’s research laboratory has been the birthplace of numerous studies and collaborations that utilize the plants’ natural abilities to produce advanced materials that do not pollute the environment. This is achieved through production using biological systems with natural materials – biomaterials or biomolecules – while utilizing their natural functionality (from plant or animal cells) and applying it for new uses via a dedicated production procedure.

Prof. Shoseyov’s connection to the world of nature is no coincidence and began several generations ago. He is the eighth generation of winegrowers who embarked on a journey from traditional agriculture to the forefront of biological technology and to what he calls “the plant age” – an age in which plants can produce almost anything we need.

Prof. Shoseyov’s most recent ambitious project – producing milk without cows – demonstrates the power of “the plant age “. This is a joint venture of the Hebrew University lab, the Riddet Institute in New Zealand, the world’s leading milk technologies institute, and the CSIRO Research Institute in Australia, regarded as one of the leaders in the field of agriculture and genetic engineering. “The process of milk production using cows involves significant pollution”, he explains. “The cows emit more greenhouse gases than all the cars, ships, trains and airplanes together, and consume 25 percent of all the world’s freshwater. We therefore isolated the genes that are responsible for producing the milk proteins and inserted them into the plants that produce safflower oil seeds from which we can directly derive cream that, in turn, serves as the base for producing milk, cheese, etc. Safflower oil has no flavor, odor, or color and is therefore excellent as a base for milk. We founded a company called ‘Miruku’ and conducted a joint study with researchers in New Zealand and Australia, and we estimate that we will begin production in the next few years”.

One of Prof. Shoseyov’s fascinating developments – Resilin – was born by observing fleas in their natural habitat and attempting to discover the secret of the flea’s amazing jumping ability: 100-200 times their height. Resilin is a unique protein that can be stretched and compressed endlessly without losing the energy infused into it – either by heat or friction – and preserves these qualities for long periods. Studying the DNA responsible for producing resilin allows to engineer plants to create large amounts of this special protein.

‘Smart Resilin’, the company that was founded based on this study, now produces the protein and develops diverse applications – from enhanced sports shoes to cosmetics and applications for the automotive and energy storage industries. This is an excellent example of how an idea can be taken from nature and replicated in a sustainable manner via plants.

Nanometric Cellulose:
The Green Revolution in Food Packaging

Daika: From City Tree Trimmings to Innovative Furniture

Yet another interesting development in the field of nanometric cellulose is a new material called Daika that can be used to restore wood, while utilizing sawdust from urban tree trimmings. The technology enables transformation of natural nanoparticles originating from wood into a plastic material somewhat like plasticine. Daika can be used in different production methods such as extrusion and compression molding to produce wood that is strong and pleasant to the touch.

‘Daika Wood’, the company founded based on this research, implements a circular economy based on plant resources. There are many advantages in the production of Daika, including the recycling of urban tree trimmings which are usually buried or burned and therefore constitute an environmental hazard, and in the creation of useful products – furniture, walls, and even 3D printed objects”.

From Trees to Human Organs: Printing a Human Breast

Another impressive achievement, the production of human collagen in genetically engineered tobacco plants, led to a significant breakthrough in the field of reconstructive medicine. Isolating the genes responsible for the production of human collagen and their insertion into tobacco plants enables to produce large quantities of human collagen from plants.

This technology has huge potential. Printing a breast for women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer is just one of the possibilities. Instead of solutions such as silicone implants, the breast is printed from biological collagen and the patient’s cells grow into the collagen scaffold. The breast is created after several weeks according to the scaffold planned by the doctor. In a sense, the plants are used to produce human spare parts. This is a sustainable and innovative process that can change the face of medicine. The company founded based on this research – ‘CollPlant’ – is already producing various collagen-based implants, some of which have been approved for use in western Europe and Israel. The company is printing medical implants currently in advanced pre-clinical stages and expects to conduct clinical tests in the future.

A further study led to the establishment of ‘Biobetter’ – a company that manufactures human antibodies, including Anti-TNF-Alfa, for treating autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Furthermore, the company produces growth factors such as insulin, IGF1, and FGF2, which are intended for use in the cultivated meat industry.

A cultivated meat consortium funded by the Innovation Authority is the world’s largest publicly-funded research consortium and is solving the challenge of the high cost of growth factors involved in producing cultivated meat, thereby helping to realize the vision of meat production without the need to slaughter animals and of efficient food supply to the world’s population.

 Innovation Authority Investment: The Key to Success

Prof. Shoseyov emphasizes the importance of the Innovation Authority to the success of his research and initiatives throughout the years. “This is one of the bright spots of the State of Israel”, he says. “Achieving global technological leadership necessitates investment in industry, academia and in collaboration between them. We have been blessed with a huge variety of support programs, from revolutionary coaching in the early stages to joint consortiums with academia and, naturally, in the field of technological incubators. The achievements of Israeli industry stem, to a large degree, from these long-term investments”.

In an age where environmental concerns are becoming increasingly critical, the work of Prof. Shoseyov and his team offers hope for a sustainable future. We are getting closer to “the plant age” – when nature itself will provide us with the most advanced technological solutions.