Scientists unlock gene secrets of opium poppy

Scientists at the University of Calgary announced they have unlocked one of the genetic secrets of the opium poppy. Biological sciences professor Peter Facchini said they have traced the unique genes that allow the opium poppy to make codeine and morphine.

“The enzymes encoded by these two genes have eluded plant biochemists for a half-century,” Prof. Facchini said in an interview.
“In finding not only the enzymes but also the genes, we've made a major step forward. It's equivalent to finding a gene involved in cancer or other genetic disorders.”
The 46-year-old Toronto-born scientist has been researching the opium poppy for close to two decades and, with the help of researcher Jillian Hagel, has been trying to unlock the gene secrets for two years.
Hagel, who herself scanned nearly 23,000 different genes on a tiny slide, finally decoded the gene called codeine /O/-dementhylase which produces the plant enzyme that converts codeine into morphine.

Prof. Facchini has filed a patent on the technology. He says the applications could have an enormous impact on the business of morphine based painkillers, as it leads to lower production costs.

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Comments

gaboss - 2010-03-17 03:46:26

"enormous impact on the business" ... ?
"lower production costs" ... okay, i get it.

so that means they will sell this patent to the
highest bidding pharmaceutical corporation and
poppy soon will get banned everywhere *rolleyes*

... grrrreat !!!

Markos - 2010-03-17 18:38:22

didnt they had @ october or near therethe same news again on azarius? i am sure i have seen this 2 times already @ the azarius news :P anyway it would be rly pity that they bann poppys 2.....banning a drug plant is no solution 4 reducing the number of addicts coz nearly every drug can be made synthetically.....banning the plant just supoorts the blackmarket that makes the drug.......

Markos - 2010-03-17 18:41:12

srry 4 the spam.....just got some trouble with my pc :(

Anonymous Basterd - 2010-03-18 20:03:38

wow.. Greeeeaaaat.. Assholes, we're not gonna be able to grow it soon anymore.. In 2 years or so it'll be illegal everywhere... *sighs*

LUXEMBURGER - 2010-03-19 13:36:34

euh ... crack are made off coke Jensen
codiene ;morfine made off papaver .
yah man smoke the herbs !!

duderino - 2010-03-22 14:16:51

Fucked up! now they can begin breeding papavers without the genes and destoy the original, so the heroin "industry" is fucked...and ofcourse keep the secret for themselves!

loller - 2010-03-23 21:50:22

hate science! it doesn't serve the people any longer, only "the business" ...

illegal - 2010-03-23 23:56:49

With this knowledge scientists can create poppys that does not contain morphin or codein anymore , they can now wipe it out from the planet. Thats got be a hard time...