That's because the collagen surgeons use is protein derived from either cow or human cadaver collagen. While the risk may be low, the potential nevertheless exists that patients could develop allergies, or even disease, from the cosmetic injections.
But that risk may soon be eliminated entirely, thanks to new research by a Texas Agricultural Experiment Station scientist who has developed a method of producing collagen and other health-related proteins from plants instead of human or animal sources.
The process has proved so promising, Texas A&M University and proCANE LLC, a subsidiary of ECOR Corp. of Sedona, Ariz., have partnered to continue the research and market the high-value, plant-derived proteins.
"We currently have seven patents, either issued or pending, for the process I've developed to use sugarcane as a drug factory to produce proteins, not just for cosmetic uses but for use in treating a wide variety of human diseases," said Dr. Erik Mirkov, a virologist and molecular biologist at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Texas A&M officials recently signed a license agreement with ECOR whereby ECOR acquires exclusive rights to commercialize the Texas A&M patents in the field of bioprocessing. ECOR's subsidiary, proCANE LLC, will produce and market the new sugarcane-derived, high-value proteins.
ECOR's president and CEO, Michael A. Zito, said, "ECOR is focused on becoming a major player in the commercialization and delivery of proteins that help lengthen people's lives. By working with strategic partners like Texas A&M University, we feel a sense of pride in helping promote improvements in human health and healthcare."
The scientific process involves introducing collagen proteins at the cellular level to sugarcane callus, thereby transforming the cane, called transgenic cane, to produce both sugar and collagen protein in cane stems.
These scientifically produced proteins, called recombinant proteins, are poised to be the medical magic bullets of tomorrow, with the potential to successfully treat hundreds of human diseases and ailments.
Recombinant proteins are already used extensively in the food and paper processing industries. Millions of diabetics use a life-saving recombinant protein, insulin, every day. And more than 300 therapeutic proteins are currently in various stages of clinical trials for approval to one day treat ailments ranging from cancer to cystic fibrosis.
But among the many challenges on the road to a healthier future is developing methods of producing safer and less expensive recombinant proteins than are currently available.
Recombinant proteins are produced by splicing a gene, or a combination of genes, into an organism to induce that organism to produce the desired proteins, the so-called building blocks of life. Switching from animal to plant organisms as the protein factory has been the focus of Mirkov's research for years, research supported to a great extent by the Lower Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc. "These proteins are currently produced in yeast cells, insect cells, mammalian cells and transgenic goat milk," he said. "But these methods are prohibitively expensive and in some cases, they raise concerns about transmitting animal pathogens to humans." Mirkov's research showed that producing proteins in sugarcane is both scientifically and economically feasible.
ProCANE's chief operating officer, Joseph Jilka, said the company's current focus is on raising sufficient start-up funds and assembling a research and development staff to collaborate with Texas A&M scientists in College Station.
Plans call for protein production facilities to be constructed in Weslaco, he said, where Mirkov and a proCANE researcher, Martin Yassi, now share laboratory facilities.
Pending federal regulatory agency approvals, Jilka said he expects to have the new protein products on the market within four years. "In the future we expect to bring other proteins forward, but for now we'll stay focused on two or three high-value, low-volume pharmaceutical and therapeutic-type proteins," Jilka said, "but eventually we'll be producing low-value, high-volume industrial-type proteins."