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(TM) 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(TM) 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.
About ORF Genetics
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.
Contact
Bjorn L. Orvar, CEO of ORF Genetics,
+354-821-1573,
borvar@orf.is
Web Site:
http://www.orfgenetics.com
