Reykjavik, Iceland
May 14, 2008
ORF Genetics, an
Icelandic biotechnology company, announced yesterday the opening
of new and revolutionary 22,000 ft2 (2043m2) cultivation
facilities in Grindavik, Iceland. Utilizing its unique Orfeus™
protein production system in barley, ORF Genetics produces and
markets biorisk-free ISOkine™ human growth factors for use in
medical research, drug discovery and cosmetics.
The state-of-the-art Green Factory uses geothermal energy for
safe, indoor cultivation of genetically engineered barley. It is
set in the middle of a lava field, close to IcelandA4s
best-known tourist attraction, the Blue Lagoon. The barley is
cultivated in a soil-less hydroponic system on specially
designed conveyor belts, allowing for the production of up to 90
different proteins at a time. The Orfeus™ system and new
facilities allow ORF the
flexibility to easily scale their production according to the
unique requirements of different customers and markets.
Currently ORF has more than 100 different growth factors in its
pipeline and 10 ISOkine™ growth factors already on the market.
Bjorn L. Orvar, CEO of ORF Genetics, said at the opening of the
greenhouse: "Our research and development efforts in recent
years are now bearing fruit, and we see great opportunities for
rapid growth, specifically in the field of drug discovery and
cosmetics."
Minister of Industry Ossur Skarphedinsson said as he harvested
the first barley in the Green Factory: "ORF's ideas have
sprouted from the dynamic Icelandic public research environment,
and the company's leaders, with unflagging entrepreneurial
optimism, have overcome all difficulties, making ORF a unique
high-tech company in the world. The new 'Green Factory'
leverages the company's deserved green image, as production is
based on green and renewable energy from Iceland's volcanic
depths."
ORF will be exhibiting their products in the US at the upcoming
Supplier's Day Show hosted by the New York Society for Cosmetic
Chemists in May.
Headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, ORF Genetics Ltd. is a
privately owned biotech company that is committed to
economically viable green technology for the production of
growth factors and other hard-to-produce recombinant proteins.
Utilizing its unique Orfeus(TM) plant-based expression system,
the company is currently producing biorisk-free, high purity
ISOkine(TM) products to serve the needs of the medical research,
cell culture media, diagnostics and cosmetic markets. ORF was
recently awarded the prestigious 2008 Icelandic Innovation Award
by the Icelandic Centre for Research and the Icelandic Trade
Council. |
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