Research groups Universitat de Lleida: "Applied Plant Biotech"

The Applied Plant Biotechnology research group of Universitat de Lleida is leaded by Dr. Teresa Capell (TC) and Dr. Paul Christou (PC), and holds a total of 20 researchers from 8 different countries.

The group has its base in the Agronomist Faculty of Universitat de Lleida (UdL), in Catalonia, Spain.

This multi-cultural team has different backgrounds, and puts together specialists like chemists, biotechnologists, agronomists, genetical engineers or pharmacists, between others. The team has 4 senior scientists, 14 researchers and 2 leaders.

Paul Christou explains that "by putting together people from different nationalities, we increase  the competitiveness and the results of our group. Applied research is a very competitive field, with hundreds of teams worldwide working to develop further the state-of-the-art of the technology or science to other goals. The group has an accumulated raise of 5 milion euros in funds, all in competitive research".

Jaume Puy, the Vice-dean of Research of Universitat de Lleida says, "Research is a different type of entrepreneurship. Teams have to be able to raise funds from public programs, from private Foundations or from the sale of their services, in order to pay important expenses in terms of salaries, equipment, raw materials or travel allowances, that generate returns in the long term". Paul Christou continues "We have different types of clients along the path, and have to deliver them results in different milestones".

The research of the Plant Biotech of UdL group is applied to solve problems humanity has not yet been able to sort out. And is at the cutting edge of the field of Genetically Modified (GM) plants.

• Famine and starvation in the poorest countries.

The group works in the nutritional enrichment of cereals, specially rice and corn, with multiple vitamins and essential elements, will help families and children in these countries, that receive corn porridge as nutritional basis, to improve its health and nutrition. They have achieved to introduce provitamin A, vitamin C and folic acid in rice. Due that provitamin A is the carotenoid responsible  of orange color in oranges, and tomatoes, rice with this 6 genes, will be orange colored.

How do they do this?

They transfer gens from vitamin rich plants to the corn. For example they introduce carotenoids and multi-vitamine in corn, which will help increase and reduce vision problems in the Horn of Africa.

In order to continue with this research the group received a donation from Melinda & Gates Foundation of 500k euro.

• Research around Cancer Treatment

The group introduces in tobacco plants, genes that have proved to be anti-cancinoregic.

• Research around the AIDS prevention

They use the gens of a flower called "the joy of the garden", a well known antibody of the AIDS virus, and introduce the gene responsible for it, in tobacco plants, that grow faster, with larger leafs, and cheaper than the "the joy of the garden".

Additionally, they work with a protein that neutralize the AIDS virus, and introduce it in maize seeds. With the obtained corn, will be developed an ointment that could be applied in the vagina.

I: Which problems do you face?

PC: In  Europe GM research is allowed by a strict regulation, but not the growth of certain crops. Every country is allowed to have its own regulation. For example Germany allows to cultivate GM crops, only within indoor greenhouses. So the group has to send its seeds to other countries like Louisiana (USA) to grow. This increases its costs and makes the follow-on more difficult and time consuming.

I: Why GM crops is not equally seen in Spain, as it is in America or Asia?

TC: "Transgenics have not been invented by man. E.g. Arbobacterium Tuefaciens introduces the DNA of a bacteria in other plants, and modifies them genetically. Its a totally natural event. And scientists copy it by plants".

Nowadays maize is a totally artificial crop. Humans have modified it deliberately to enhance some agronomically desired traits, like resistance to pests or herbicides, or even  corn that in winter does not break down.

GM cotton is used worldwide, making it non GM cotton more expensive. At the same time, nowadays in America all the papaya is GM

I: How works the process?

We detect a gene of interest in another plant. We have to extract this gene and insert in in the recipient plant. Previously we have to be able mark the gene, in order to be able to demonstrate that the gene is inside the recipient plant and that it expresses.

I: How do you foster collaboration within your group, and attract talent from other countries?

TC: "All that we do is collaborative. We share the information, and team successes are shared.

We have written, edited and printed a collaborative book, all members of the team collaborated by writing the different chapters, and I coordinated the job. Editorial pages has published it, and we have printend 2.000 copies. 

The group has been recognized with the Award Lleidatans 2011, to the best research group of the year in Universitat de Lleida by Junior Chamber International Lleida. The award was delivered by the first authorities of the University, City Hall and Province, In a gala dinner that took place the December 2th 2011.

The jury was composed by distinguished the coordinator of economic matters in the UdL, juniors and senators from JCI Lleida, a representative of business community, a representative of Omnium cultural and a representative of Fundació Catalana per la Cooperació.