For the second bright point in biotech news these days, Nature Biotechnology is publishing a research study on genetically modified poppies that produce Reticuline that could potentially be used in anti-cancer and anti-malarial drugs. Even better in the eyes of the DEA and DOJ, these poppies don't produce morphine or codeine in their latex and so they won't contribute to the illegal drug cartels.
When using RNA interference to turn off a set of 10 different genes in poppies, the production of morphine and codeine is stopped and the plants accumulate thebaine and oripavine, which are used for legal painkillers such as oxycodone and naloxone.
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