Will tobacco plants provide the next cosmetic filler? Very possibly, according to findings recently published in the journal Biomacromolecules.

Among the beauty-obsessed, the number-one problem with smoking is that it ages your skin. (Let alone what lung cancer does for the complexion.) But a new technique could re-harness the tobacco plant in the name of youthful beauty.

Researcher Oded Shoseyov of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has figured out how to get tobacco plants to produce a human-like collagen. Collagen is the main protein in skin, tendons, cartilage, bone and connective tissue. It typically declines during the normal aging process, allowing cheeks to sag and wrinkles to set it.

While primarily being marketed for medical purposes — such as for bone and heart repairs — the new synthetic collagen may someday be used cosmetically.

“This is a very unique collagen,” said Noa Lapido, assistant vice president of CollPlant, the company handling the patents coming from Shoseyov’s laboratory. “It is very very similar to human collagen and, as it has not come in contact with any animals, it is much better and much safer than other collagens.”

Most commercial collagen currently comes from farm animals, such as cows and pigs, and human cadavers. Collagen from such sources can carry viruses and prions, such as those associated with mad-cow disease. The new collagen avoids these risks, the researchers say.

It is not that tobacco plants naturally have these beautifying or medical benefits. Producing human-like collagen from a tobacco plant is a technological feat, involving the simultaneous “turning on” of five specific genes in a genetically modified tobacco plant.

Cosmetic uses of the new collagen are currently unlikely, Lapido said, as the price is several hundred to several thousand times more expensive than other options. But it may become more reasonable, she said, “in a few years time.”

LiveScience, 10 June 2010

The Raymond Corporation announced that it has instituted tobacco-free campuses at all Raymond facilities. This move is being made in conjunction with a variety of initiatives implemented through Raymond’s employee wellness program, Wellness Matters. Raymond supports employees’ health and well-being through on-campus health screenings, fitness programs and health education.

“Having a tobacco-free campus promotes a healthier environment for all Raymond employees and the many visitors that come to our facilities,” says Steve VanNostrand, vice president of human resources for The Raymond Corporation. “We continually provide our employees with new programs and initiatives that help encourage their well-being now and in the future.”

Raymond has sponsored several tobacco-quit programs since first announcing the transition internally in February 2009.

The Raymond Corporation is a global provider of material handling solutions that improve space utilization and productivity, with lower cost of operation and greater operator acceptance. Raymond offers the iWarehouse system, an enterprise fleet optimization solution for warehouse and distribution center managers to collect and analyze real-time lift truck data to maximize fleet productivity and reduce costs. High-performance, reliable, ergonomically designed Raymond lift trucks range from a full line of manual and electric pallet trucks and walkie stackers to counterbalanced trucks, Reach-Fork trucks, order pickers and dual-purpose (pallet handling/case picking) Swing-Reach trucks.

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