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New Linen Dressings

New Linen Dressings

A few years ago the biotechnologists from the University of Wrocław created genetically modified linseed, which was used to produce dressings healing chronic wounds. Unfortunately, restrictive EU regulations prevented the mass production of the dressings. The scientists did not give up. Epigenetics has come to the rescue.

We talk about epigenetic research on linseed with Dr Wioleta Wojtasik from the Faculty of Biotechnology.

What’s so special about linseed? It’s a rather forgotten plant, not easily spotted in fields.

Wioleta Wojtasik: It’s true that it isn’t widely cultivated, which is a shame, because it is the plant inside which the presence of the most important metabolic paths gives the rare opportunity to adapt linseed-derived materials to many products, such as high-quality textiles, dressings, composite fibres, and fibre composites with polymer matrix. Linseed is an „intelligent” plant with a wide spectrum of applications, though susceptible to diseases. We used genetic engineering methods to increase its immunity. In our laboratory we created transgenic plants, immune to infections and having increased content of compounds displaying antioxidative properties. Thanks to these modifications we were producing linseed which parameters allowed us to create dressings able to heal ulcerations, diabetic foot syndrome, pyoderma gangrenosum, and bedsores.

kobieta

It soon turned out that restrictive EU rules and regulations prevented the utilisation of linseed materials obtained from genetically modified plants.

True, such regulations have been introduced across the entire Union. Genetic modification involves the insertion of a gene coming from another organism into a living thing. People can’t imagine that, for example, we can insert a gene from a rat into a potato, but we do make such experiments, among others. The only difference is that it is not a rat but only a fragment of its genetic sequence, and the aim of the research is only to learn about the functions of a particular protein in the plant. Curently we have the opportunity to create genetically modified organisms and study them but only to understand the structure and functions of a specific protein, and such organisms cannot be used as the sources of raw materials.

We fear the so-called GMO plants?

Yes, and I even understand this fear. I, too, would be hesitant if someone told me that a plant had been genetically modified, and stopped at that, no other information. But if I know that such plant have been examined and apart from some changed characteristics, all others are normal, then I can say it’s safe. Many people protest against the production of food using genetically modified plants not knowing that they’ve been eating it all along. After all, currently grown soy and corn are modified. Even farmers are not aware of this. They buy seed and don’t think about it. Nevertheles, the concerns remain.

But you did not let neither regulations nor people’s fears stop you.

We didn’t have to resort to any special tricks or embezzlement. We used epigenetics.

What’s the difference between epigenetics and genetic modification?

Genetic modification involves inserting a fragment of DNA, genetic sequence from one organism into another. They don’t have to be related. Epigenetics, on the other hand, entails the insertion of at most a sequence of the same plant, so no alien genes are transferred. Epigenetics is based on the changes in the expression of genes which are inherited. The genome of epigenetically modulated plants does not change. To better explain the phenomenon of epigenetics, I will present it on the example of the immune system: if a plant is exposed to some adverse conditions in the environment, the pool of proteins responsible for increasing immunity gets bigger. That plant can pass on this trait to the next generations. This process is uncontrollable, it’s how nature works. We, on the other hand, insert genes into the same plant or purposefully trigger a specific change. This is how we modulate the genome of the organism.

grafika

Did it work with linseed?

Yes. We had a model plant which had been genetically modified. We based on it to create a plant with similar traits but without interference using alien genetic material. We did succeed. The new EMO-betaGlu linseed has been produced thanks to the epigenetic modulation of the genome, induced with fragments of a selected gene coming from these plants. The insertion of nucleotide sequences is done via vascular bundle system, so it can be considered natural, free of genetic modification. Our linseed has increased immunity to pathogenic infections. It is a source of fibre rich in antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds which also promote the regeneration of human skin cells.

So nothing stands in the way of producing ideal dressings from non-genetically modified raw material.

Not so fast. It’s going to be a long process. We talk months here, or even years. First we must produce a sufficient number of seeds, sow the fields, harvest, make fibres, and then dressings. We need an investor who would create a production line adapted to our bandages.

Are you holding talks with companies?

Yes, we keep in touch with producers. The new dressings don’t exist physically yet, but our research up to this point has shown that our product will really have all the characteristics of the ideal. In spite of being produced from non-genetically modified linseed, it will have the same healing properties. The dressing will ensure wound continuity, actively cleanse it, soak up excess exudate, maintain appropriate moisture, promote its cleansing from necrotic tissue and assist skin forming.  Moreover, it’s non-allergenic.

We want to produce linseed for many applications. Besides dressings, we also work on using seeds and production waste. There are two linseed species – oil linseed and fibre linseed. The former is used mainly for producing oil. Linseed expeller is its by-product, and it contains valued biological compunds which are not present in the oil. Another by-product is straw, valuable for the production of various biomedical materials. There is also fibre linseed, which seeds are only used for sowing, and shive left after hackling fibres contains valuable compunds which can be extracted and utilised.

Will dressings be tested on animals?

No. For our research we use animal cell lines and human skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes. The same applies to test phases – we begin our research with specific skin cell lines where we induce inflammation and apply the dressing. In the next phase we check the effects. Animal testing is forbidden. Although, I think that moving from tests on cells right to humans is probably too fast a pace. After the cell line phase we were able to conduct clinical tests on humans. This entails co-operation with physicians, who select patients for the research. In the case of the dressings made from genetically modified linseed pre-clinial trials were conducted in collaboration with the Military Clinical Hospital at Weigla street. The bandages turned out to be effective. They promoted healing of purulent wounds in the majority of patients. I personally received calls and e-mails from the people whose health was saved by those dressings. When it turned out that we had to recall the bandages due to the change in regulations and close the production line, we were devastated.

When can we expect tests with the new dressings?

We have to be patient. If we find an investor and produce a sufficient number of seeds, we’ll be able to open the production line in a few years. Twenty people are currently working in our team. Some work on the basics, which is linseed itself, in order to fully understand the new, epigenetically changed organism. The rest deals with the application of seeds, linseed fibre or by-products. We’re convinced it’s going to be a success. Our dressings will provide relief to many patients. It’s our best motivation.

Interview by Małgorzata Jurkiewicz

Photo by Dominika Hull

Wioleta Wojtasik – doctor of biological sciences in biotechnology, scientific and technical worker of the Faculty of Biotechnology, UWr. In her current position she performs works involving genetic and epigenetic modification of plants. She also conducts research aiming to explain the mechanism and implement a new way of modulating plant genome using epigenetic tools, leading to an increase in immunity on the example of linseed. She is the author or co-author of papers published by prestigious English scientific publishing houses and a co-author of a patent application. Dr Wojtasik is the head and researcher of scientific projects funded by the National Science Centre and National Centre for Research and Development. She was a Socrates/Erasmus scholar in Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in  Golm, Germany, and the programme „Enterprising Doctoral Student – Investment in the Innovative Development of the Region” financed by the Marshall’s Office of the Lower Silesian Province. Since 2009 she has been a volunteer of Linum Foundation, performing scientific works on developing health-promoting linseed-based products. Between 2012 and 2014 she was a patent broker in Wrocław Research Centre EIT+ working on reports concerning opportunities for intellectual property protection.

The project “Integrated Program for the Development of the University of Wrocław 2018-2022” co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund

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