Alexandra, Victoria, Australia
May 1999
Can you imagine a world without allergies? Asthma and most allergies are caused by plant
pollen, particularly ryegrass pollen. Australian company Valley Seeds Pty. Ltd. has for
the last 6 years been supporting Researchers from the University of Melbourne to eliminate
the allergy causing effects of Ryegrass pollen.
Dr. Bhalla was successful in all elements of a complex genetic engineering project to
switch off the allergy causing genes in Ryegrass. This new technology applies to all
species of grasses and builds on successful research carried out by Professor Singh, also
from the University of Melbourne. Professor Singh was the first researcher in the world to
isolate genes in the pollen of
Ryegrass that cause asthma and hay fever.
Valley Seeds is the commercial partner in this technology and will be producing varieties
of Ryegrass that produce pollen that does not cause asthma and hay fever. These varieties
will not only be covered by Plant Breeders Rights, but also by a Patent over the allergy
genes. This will give Valley Seeds extended intellectual property protection over these
varieties and in addition give the company varieties that are beneficial for the whole
community.
'In the current climate of uncertainty and consumer skepticism about genetically
engineered plants, our new varieties are the first example in the world of this technology
delivering a genuine benefit to the public at large.' said Mr. Donald Coles, Managing
Director of Valley Seeds. 'Most companies and scientists that have released genetically
engineered plants have concentrated on benefits for the producer (producer traits), rather
than benefits for the end consumer (consumer traits). This has left the end consumer
wondering why all this new technology is necessary and if the genetically modified
(G.M.O.) plants will cause any harm to them. We at Valley Seeds, believe that if G.M.O.
plants are good for the end consumer they will also be good for the producer.' said Mr.
Coles.
Valley Seeds is an Australian owned company that specializes in breeding grasses that have
stress tolerance, 'off season' production and other consumer traits for forage, pasture,
turf and lawn use. Varieties bred by Valley Seeds have been successfully tested in many
countries around the world that have similar extreme climates to that of Australia. These
countries include USA, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay and Spain.
For more information about allergy free varieties and related technology contact Donald
Coles from Valley Seeds at dcoles@valleyseeds.com.Company news release
N1808 |
