ORF Genetics in Iceland grows GMO barely plants for the production of recombinant proteins, such as human growth factors and cytokines, using ORF’s Orfeus™ expression system.

 

The LUMIGEN project in cooperation with ORF Genetics, was Intravision’s first project on medicinal plants (Plant Made Pharmaceuticals), and led indirectly to the establishment of our cooperation with the CESRF at the University of Guelph. As a preface to the LUMIGEN Eurostar project we tested a setup using one of Intravision’s Lumigreen turf-grass systems to grow barley plants at ORF Genetics greenhouse in Grindavik. In parallel to this initial test Intravision and ORF Genetics codeveloped a EUROSTAR application which was awarded in 2010.

 

The LUMIGEN project comprised a setup in the Grindavik Greenhouse where we tested (1) LEDs in the Greenhouse environment as a sunlight supplement, (2) LED’s inside an enclosed box as the single source of lights, and (3) a control group using sunlight only, but with air movement from below. 

 

We developed a very slim water-cooled LED bar to allow for maximum sunlight penetration, and used a combination of 4-channels; 2 x red and 2 x blue colors, with a combined light intensity of 1500 μmol photons 

m-2s-1. Due to the termperature variations in the Greenhouse, we then transferred the next phase of the research to the hypobaric chambers at CESRF. As part of this Greenhouse installation we developed in cooperation with SIRIS, NTNU (Norway) a remote control software platform enabling monitoring and data storage from out Oslo office.