Blood From Tobacco Plants

LE DREMLINBICETRE, FRANCEThough tobacco is much maligned, researchers
have invented a use for it that even a cancer surgeon can love. Scientists
at the Hopital de Bicetre have found a way to make tobacco leaves produce a
substitute for the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in the blood.

To accomplish this seemingly impossible feat, researchers introduced into
tobacco plants DNA that carries instructions for creating two essential
components of human blood. The seeds from these "transgenic" plants were
then pressed and the hemoglobin substitute extracted.

The researchers say that using the substitute would eliminate the risk of
receiving infected blood. And since it could be produced on demand, it
could end seasonal blood shortages, such as those that typically occur
during holidays and peak vacation periods.

end article

caption under a photo of tobacco leaves reads,"French researchers believe
tobacco plants could be the prime donors at tomorrow's blood banks.