Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory

Forage grass is of significant importance in Australia for use as livestock feed. Grass pollen however is responsible for inducing allergic asthma and hay-fever in humans. Removal of allergens from grasses is highly desirable but not feasible by classical breeding approaches.

Our research group has been successful in developing an efficient gene delivery system for grasses. Application of this gene delivery system has resulted in generation of world fist hypoallergenic grass where the pollen allergen gene, was “switching off” by genetic technologies. As a result the hypoallergenic grass does not produce one of the major allergenic proteins hence reducing environmental load of hay fever causing molecules.