Biolex: The virtue of unbridled growth

Believed to be the fastest growing vascular plant, Lemna - or duckweed - is widely regarded as a pest. But its very growth capacity, coupled with other characteristics such as adaptability, high protein content and a propensity to clone itself, make Lemna a good candidate as a factory for producing proteins.

"The patent literature on Lemna is mostly concerned with how to kill the stuff," said CEO Robert Erickson...