The ability to harness plant energy must be underpinned by sophisticated technology.

    Our company has worldwide exclusive access to technology specifically developed for this purpose.

    We call it INPACT (ie In-Plant Activation Technology) and it forms the basis of Leaf Energy’s intellectual property assets. 

    . . .

    INPACT is unique in its ability to provide exquisite control over transgene expression, both in the activation and amplification of the gene of interest.

    While other systems have been shown to control either amplification or activation, to date, INPACT has been identified as the only platform capable of dual control of both processes.

    Furthermore, our company believes the INPACT technology and its novel plant manufacturing system will be of benefit to a variety of industry sectors, and as such, expects significant opportunities for future expansion of its product pipeline. 

    What is INPACT? 

     

    INPACT is:

    • A two gene activation and amplification expression system
    • Platform technology which provides control of transgenic expression of compounds of interest
    • Controlled and targeted activation
    • Induced activation through either external or internal triggers
    • Versatile- broad range of plant species
    • Compatible with a range of traits and enabling technologies

    By utilising this system, Leaf Energy is able to introduce the gene for the protein (which may or may not be an enzyme) into the basic operating machinery of the plant. Through activation of the gene,  expression of the desired protein can be switched on within the plant and  expression and production (up to 10 fold greater than other systems) enhanced within the plant.

    INPACT Science

    It has been previously demonstrated in geminiviruses and nanoviruses that greater than unit length dsDNA copies of the viral genome can be introduced into plant cells. These dsDNA copies can be expressed either stably or transiently and in the presence of Rep, unit length ssDNA is generated by replicative release. This results in amplification of the initial template. 

    It has also been demonstrated for both geminiviruses and nanoviruses that the viral genes can be substituted by exogenous sequences without loss of replication ability as long as Rep is supplied either in cis or trans. 

    Scientists at QUT have developed this replicative mechanism to become a gene switch mechanism, such that the gene inserted into the greater than unit length dsDNA are not expressed except in the presence of Rep. 

    This is achieved by splitting the inserted gene and inserting the intergenic region into an intron. The 5’ end of the gene can be minimal such that there is no expression of gene product in planta except in the presence of the Rep that specifically recognizes the specific intergenic region. 

    In the presence of Rep, a circular, single stranded DNA molecule is generated by replicative release. Upon transcription, the resultant mRNA is processed with the intron, containing the intergenic region being spliced out to yield an mRNA.

    Thus, the original split gene is reconstituted into the function translatable mRNA yielding the desired protein. 

    The diagram below provides a summary of the INPACT system.

     

         

    Advantages of a plant based system

    The potential advantages of plant based production systems over current animal and animal cell systems are:

    1. Cost efficiency in sourcing raw materials

    2. Reduced risk of transferring infectious agents

    3. Increased flexibility and continuity in the supply of products

    4. Similar manufacturing system to mammal models, however do not require expensive infrastructure or purification and processing facilities

    Case Study- Vitronectin

    Leaf Energy’s first molecular farming product, an extra cellular matrix protein known as Vitronectin, has demonstrated equivalent performance in a "gold standard" cell migration assay when compared to a leading commercial product derived from a mammalian source.

    Vitronectin is currently extracted from mammalian plasma and used as a coating for tissue culture plates; however it has a number of potential applications in many areas within medical research (including wound healing, cancer therapy, biomimetics, disease pathogenesis etc). Vitronectin has also been implicated as having a role in both thrombosis and inflammation. As such, it appears that the potential market for the protein may extend beyond its use in tissue and cell culture.

    The key advantages of Leaf Energy's plant derived Vitronectin when compared to current commercial mammalian sources, include:

    • Enhanced product safety - minimal risk of pathogen transfer and infection
    • Economies of scale - significant reduction in production costs
    • Production efficiency- plants offer flexibility and continuity of supply

    Leaf Energy is currently focusing on optimising the production, extraction and purification of Vitronectin, currently being produced and extracted from "elite" plants grown in QUT facilities in Brisbane.