Lots of them, and all from the pituitary glands of sheep. Not that Ms Simmons would describe her company, Immuno-Chemical Products, in such dramatic terms. But today, like other New Zealand biotech companies, ICP is carving a small niche for itself in giant world markets. Employing a mix of intellectual prowess and good old fashioned Kiwi can-do attitude, our biotech companies have in recent years succeeded in such diverse endeavours as the genetic manipulation of flower colour, developing vaccines to prevent sheep abortion and deer tuberculosis, and developing artificial skin. Not to mention using shark cartilage to prevent new blood vessel formation, which has potential as an oral cancer treatment.
More prosaic work involves tissue culture to propagate trees and improving beer fermentation.
It's all biotech, and while New Zealand companies may be small by world standards, their contributions in certain areas are big. Last week, representatives of companies like ICP gathered in Auckland to hear how their industry can better market itself to the world, and turn their bright ideas into export dollars. It helps that New Zealand has several major advantages when it comes to biotechnology. They include a deep intellectual talent pool, replenished by a high-quality education system, and an economic infrastructure conducive to intellectual enterprise. It means this country is recognised as the world's leading source of animal-derived biological materials, according to NZ Biotechnology Association head, Professor Ian Maddox.