By Julia Levitt

Research on the land mine detecting flower has come to an end.
The company behind the concept, Denmark-based Aresa, has discontinued work
on the project, and has subsequently changed the company focus from
biotechnology to investment. According to the press release issued in
September,

The business model behind the landmine plant has become outdated and
consequently aresa is changing its strategy to investment in mine
contaminated land in Croatia. aresa intends to maintain its humanitarian
focus, but now with a far less risky investment case for the stock.

The genetically modified flower, called RedDetect, was engineered to change
color when its roots came in contact with nitrogen dioxide, a compound
released by decaying chemicals used in explosives. The award-winning
innovation had potential to become an important tool it detecting the
presence of land mines, which kill thousands of civilians each year.

A previous release from Aresa states that the company transferred the
RedDetect technology into a hardier host plant ? tobacco ? in March 2008.
But the RedDetect concept was not progressing toward commercial development
as quickly as the company had hoped, and the growing use of mine-clearance
machines has driven down the cost and increased the machines' status as the
preferred method for mine clearance.
www.checkbiotech.org