U.S. begins to grow pharmaceutical GM crops underground

In an old limestone cave near the small village called Marungue in southern Indiana, Doug Ausenbaugh is hiding. However, it has nothing to do with the private production of counterfeit drugs, but it is carefully cultivating various genetically modified plants. These tobaccos, tomatoes, and corn, which are grown with the help of artificial light and irrigation systems, are actually the drugs that the company "seeds" underground. A biotech company affiliated with the company is currently working with researchers at Purdue University in the United States to use this underground drug plant to grow a variety of medicinal crops. These genetically modified corns, tomatoes, tobacco, and other plants contain certain pharmaceutical ingredients that can also be used directly as edible vaccines. Pharmaceutical companies once favored this “biopharmaceutical” model because the cost of “species” is much lower than traditional pharmaceutical processes. However, environmentalists, food industry officials, and other critics believe that medicinal plants pose a potential risk of contamination in the food supply chain. Some non-human crops may be toxic to the human body. This worry is not out of thin air. In 2000, corn tacos sold at a famous fast food restaurant in the United States was found to use genetically modified corn for animal consumption. This allowed the corn grower to finally abandon the variety and claim allergic reactions. The person made a financial compensation of 2.4 million U.S. dollars. In 2002, the federal government penalized another biotechnology company for a fine of US$3 million because the company’s genetically engineered corn containing an experimental swine vaccine polluted soybeans in Iowa and Nebraska. . Since then, the supervision of GM crops for pharmaceutical use has been strengthened. In 2003, the Monsanto company, an agricultural biotechnology giant, announced that it had given up its research on biopharmaceuticals and hit the start-up biopharmaceutical industry. Although there are several biopharmaceuticals that have entered the clinical evaluation stage, there is currently no "species" out of the market. For safety reasons, Ausenbaugh moved his own plantation to the ground. The 60-acre abandoned limestone mine can act as a natural barrier, and it is well isolated from the outside world, protecting it from the effects of storms and tornadoes, and also providing protection for inter-species pollution. . There are no insect pests in the plantation and no need to spray insecticides. Each crop is planted separately. The soil is artificial mud that is specially designed to adapt to the underground environment. The irrigation system simulates rain spray and fertilizes. Environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration in plantations are monitored by computers. The temperature in the caves is maintained at 51 degrees Fahrenheit (about 10.6 degrees Celsius) all year round, so that plants that are under artificial light will not die when they are roasting. The greatest advantage of the underground plantation is the surprisingly high crop yield. The company has just recently harvested the first batch of results. This kind of edible genetically modified corn is not yet a real medicinal product, but the output is as high as 2,700 gallons per acre, which is more than twice that of ordinary corn. Norman Irstein, a geneticist at the University of California, believes that a well-managed subterranean plantation is safer from species pollution than the ground. The company believes that there are still a large number of abandoned mining areas in the United States, and there are natural caves in many areas. It is ideal for underground cultivation of genetically modified crops. The company’s second plantation is currently completed, and whether tomatoes, tobacco, etc. in the garden can grow like corn, and will be able to see in the coming months. The company hopes that under the premise of ensuring safety, this underground GM crop cultivation model should help biopharmaceutical research to re-enter the development track.

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