Aresa Biodetection was a biotechnology firm based in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

which is best known for genetically modifying a common weed to indicate the presence of

land mine A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...

s. The company created a

thale cress ''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small plant from the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and Africa. Commonly found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land, it is generally ...

whose leaves turn brown in the presence of nitrogen dioxide, a compound which is leached into the soil by unexploded land mines. Previously identification of land mines was done by probing or by metal detectors. Use of these plants as indicators significantly reduces the risks to humans and animals who have previously probed the soil to locate mines and finds mines in plastic housings that cannot be found with metal detectors. In 2008 Aresa Biodetection announced it had stopped further development of genetically engineered thale cress. In 2009, Aresa Biodetection had no sales and only one employee.Aresa Biodetection ApS
Largest Companies - top 100,000 in the Nordic countries, Retrieved 11 September 2012

References

{{Genetic engineering Biotechnology companies of Denmark Companies based in Hørsholm Municipality