Same situation with Germany through the work in the field of biotechnology, Indonesia will become the first country that pioneered the molecular farming in Asia. By developing high-value method of protein production using plants as a medium, will be achieved breakthrough reduction of production costs one-tenth of the conventional way of using microbial and animal cells.
This was conveyed Head of Indonesian Institute of Sciences Prof. Umar A Jenie after the signing of the MoU in the field of molecular farming between LIPI and the Fraunhofer Institute of Germany and Kimia Farma, Monday in Jakarta. The same site also made a Letter of Intent in the field of Diagnostic Chip for hepatitis C between Fraunhofer and Kalbe Farma.
Umar further argued, LIPI has pioneered the study of molecular farming, with a focus on proteins for the treatment, namely human erythropoietin for anemia, and protein for the diagnosis, namely sialidase for cancer using tobacco plants. Also developed a vaccine that could dimakanmenggunakan banana plants.
With the result that, LIPI in cooperation with Fraunhofer to develop the technology of molecular farming in tropical countries. This technology was developed based on the lush tropical climate like Indonesia and the landless. Molecular farming emerged in the 1980s and later developed in Europe and America extensively.
Molecular Farming LIPI Team Leader Dr. Arief Budi Witarto added, field trials will be conducted on land owned by LIPI in Cibinong in an area of 150 hectares. Currently being tried planting nine types of local tobacco varieties to choose from fast-growing and soft-leaved in order to facilitate the process of making efficacious drugs proteins.
In his speech, Dr Alfred Grossner, Finance, Senior Vice President of Fraunhofer, menngatakan, biotechnology, molecular farming in particular, has a significant role to overcome the disease and the provision of drugs at cheap prices. Application of molecular farming technology in tobacco plants, for example, will produce cheaper drugs 50-fold compared with the bioreactor.
