The purpose of this Phase II project is to produce human Mullerian Inhibiting Substance (MIS) in transgenic tobacco plants. MIS inhibits the growth of tumors cells of gynecological origin and thus can be used to treat such cancers. However, adequate supplies of MIS protein have not been produced for clinical testing. Preliminary results from phase I show that it is feasible for CropTech to produce MIS in abundance at low cost from transgenic tobacco plants. The goals of this Phase II project are then to purify the MIS protein from tobacco, to biochemically characterize it, to test its bioactivity, and to enhance the yield of MIS from tobacco. This is to be done in collaboration with researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Completion of these goals should make it possible to scale-up production of MIS for clinical testing and treating patients.
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