Degussa BioActives Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Freising, and Icon Genetics AG, Munich, have recently signed a research cooperation agreement which supports research at Icon's Freising research facility for the next two years. As part of the project, Icon’s scientists will study the feasibility of expressing recombinant proteins in chloroplasts of tobacco. Protein expression in chloroplasts is one of Icon's transgene operating systems (TOS®). It combines the precision of gene insertion with the predictability and stability of expression and offers the potential of very high yields of recombinant protein. It is biologically safe, since genes of chloroplasts are not transferred with pollen and therefore do not spread into the environment.

Degussa and Icon aim to exploit this expression platform for technical enzymes.

Both cooperation partners regard this project as mutually beneficial. Such cooperation is also seen as a further contribution to the growing Green Biotech network at Freising-Weihenstephan.

Degussa BioActives is one of the leading food ingredient suppliers specialized on Functional Food, Dietary Supplements and Special Nutrition. In addition to new product development, Degussa BioActives R&D focuses on state-of-the-art-technology and systems to determine the function and molecular action of bioactive compounds.