In
This Issue:
PRODIGENE DEVELOPS
ALTERNATIVE TRYPSIN FROM GM PLANTS
The first scale-up manufacturing of trypsin from transgenic plants rather than
from animals will soon be realized. ProdiGene, Inc., says that this alternative
form will ease concerns about animal-derived proteins where animal pathogens
can be passed to humans. The US company is involved in recombinant protein
development and manufacturing from transgenic plant systems.
Trypsin is a protein used in cell culture and as an intermediary in the production
of pharmaceuticals. It is traditionally harvested from bovine sources like
cattle. The market for trypsin is rapidly growing because it is a critical
intermediary in the manufacture of insulin. In addition, it is used in wound
care markets as an oral treatment for inflammatory edema, hematoma and pain
associated with a wide variety of internal and external wounds.
ProdiGene plans to market non-animal derived trypsin by the end of 2002 and
scale-up production to meet full market demand by 2003.
Meanwhile, ProdiGene is currently working with the US National Institutes of
Health to develop an edible AIDS vaccine. NIH gave a research grant to develop
a genetically enhanced corn that could serve as an oral delivery system for
an AIDS vaccine. Animal studies are expected to begin this year to determine
if ingestion of corn elicits an immune response.
More information can be obtained from ProdiGene, Inc. at http://www.prodigene.com
CHINA TO DRAFT BIOSAFETY LAW
The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China will draft
its first law to regulate biotechnology. Wang Dehui, director of SEPA's Department
of Nature and Ecology Conservation, said that SEPA will draft the law in cooperation
with ministries for agriculture, science and technology, quality supervision,
quarantine and foreign affairs.
Wang explained that the law would ensure safety in the conduct of activities
related to genetically modified (GM) crops. Some provisions will include the
need for risk assessment and inspection in the farm as well as risk evaluation
on the mass production of GM foods. It will also detail the rules for evaluating
and inspecting imports, including GM seeds.
Rules drafted by China's Ministry of Agriculture regarding trade of GM farm
products took effect March 20. They require all imported genetically modified
soybeans, corn, rapeseed, cottonseed and tomatoes to be clearly labeled as
GM. So as not to disrupt trade, China will be issuing preliminary approvals
during a nine-month transition period that runs through December 2002.
CHINA TO MAKE PUBLIC
RICE GENOME SEQUENCE
The Beijing Genomics Institute has produced a draft sequence of indica rice.
It will make the complete genome sequence of rice available to the public at http://btn.genomics.org.cn/rice.
The work was published in a paper "A draft sequence of the rice genome (Oryza
sativa L. sp. indica)" in Science 296: 79-92.
Jun Yu, one of the four lead authors of the paper and the principal investigator
for the rice project, said that making the database available to others will
help push research on rice, particularly on a very important crop in China.
An interesting finding was that rice has 46,000 to 55,600 genes, while the
human genome has only 30,000 to 40,000 genes.
There have been other efforts to sequence rice involving japonica varieties. However,
the Chinese institute is the first to release the full sequence to the public
databases.
In the second stage of research, the research team will produce a more detailed
sequence, to be integrated with physical and genetic maps of the rice genome.
The more detailed sequence should reveal any gaps in the current draft that
may contain genes, and place all the genes into functional categories.
The Institute is also involved in the sequencing of two other varieties of
rice, as well as the genomes of maize, pig and chicken.
More information can be obtained from Huanming Yang, Beijing Genomics Institute,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101300, China at the following email address: hynag@genomics.org.cn
PHILIPPINES TO
ENHANCE REGULATORY CAPABILITY FOR GM CROPS
The Philippines recently issued a Department Administrative Order (DAO) governing
the importation and release into the environment of plants and plant products
derived from the use of modern biotechnology. Department of Agriculture (DA)
Secretary Leonardo Montemayor signed the DAO to ensure that a responsive regulatory
system is in place as a precautionary approach in dealing with the products
of biotechnology.
Segfredo Serrano, DA Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Research,
says that the Order indicates a transition period until June 30, 2003. During
the transition period, the Department will enhance the capability of regulatory
personnel in charge of implementing the DAO, particularly those from the Bureau
of Plant Industry (BPI). In addition, the DA will also develop an Operations
Manual to firm-up and put details to the administrative guidelines.
The DAO specifies that regulated products shall only be allowed to be imported
or released into the environment if a risk assessment is performed. The conduct
of the risk assessment shall be based on the policies and guidelines on risk
assessment issued by the National Biosafety Committee of the Philippines (NBCP).
Products have to be duly authorized by the BPI upon the endorsement of the
NCBP.
Field testing of regulated articles are also required under contained conditions.
The scale of field trials will be based on the risk assessment data.
INDIA DEVELOPS
LOCAL Bt COTTON VARIETIES
Farmers in India will soon be able to choose a variety of GM cotton seeds to
plant. Mangla Rai, deputy director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research announced that the National Agriculture Research System has developed
three varieties of Bt cotton. The local seeds can be recycled effectively from
cultivated crops unlike other Bt cotton seeds.
Rai said that two genes developed by Monsanto have been successfully transplanted
in three varieties of Indian cotton at the Pune-based Central Cotton Research
Institute and the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwar, Karnataka.
It is projected that seeds of commercial quantity will be available in three
years.
Rai also added that if Indian scientists were successful in gene synthesis,
they could come up with more products like brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, chickpea,
tomato and pigeon pea.
ANTI-GM SENTIMENT
IN EUROPE HAS ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
If the European Union will continue to allow a strong anti-GM technology stance,
instill a moratorium on the approval process for new GM crops, and generally
discourage the use of biotechnology, then important economic consequences are
expected. Graham Brookes, an agricultural economist of the United Kingdom says
that "in economic terms, this is not good for the EU economy."
Brookes notes that the EU is "already falling behind in the development and
commercial exploitation of GM technology. This may lead to the EU missing out
on the benefits of the technology. In turn, this may have significant implications
for levels of income, wealth and employment generation."
Income and employment generation from the biotech industry would probably been
higher than it currently is if the EU had a more favorable regulatory environment
towards biotechnology. Brookes notes that the important EU agriculture and
food/drink sectors may also be faced with a significant loss in export competitiveness
through their inability to access latest, low cost production technologies
or (for the food and drink industries) the lowest cost raw materials.
Click
here to read Brookes' complete article (pdf) titled "Anti
GM crop sentiment and policies in the European Union: Some
economic consequences." It is available at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
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