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GM Maize Could Produce Hepatitis B Vaccine
(SRC:SciDev.Net -- ATH:Wagdy Sawahel)
A team of Egyptian scientists has genetically engineered
maize plants to produce the HbsAg protein, which elicits
an immune response against the hepatitis B virus and
could be used as a vaccine. More than two billion
people are infected with hepatitis B, and about 350
million of those are at high risk of serious illness and
death from liver damage or liver cancer.
The Egyptian research team, led by Hania El-itriby, director
of Cairo's Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research
Institute, is now attempting to increase the amount of
HbsAg protein produced by the genetically modified (GM)
plants. A vaccine against hepatitis B is already
available, but the researchers say that edible vaccines
produced by GM plants would be cheaper and would not
require refrigeration or skilled medical personnel.
Reporting on the research results at a recent international
conference on genetic engineering and biotechnology in
Cairo, El-itriby said that producing cheap, effective
vaccine against hepatitis B is vital, as many people
cannot afford the current expensive vaccine. The
researchers expect to begin tests of their vaccine's
effectiveness on animals and humans in early 2005. The
article can be viewed online at the link below.
http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=1316&language=1
Jazzing Up Jasmine: Atomically Modified Rice in Asia?
(SRC:ETC Group -- ATH:n/a)This press release reports that
researchers at Thailand's Chiang Mai University aim to
use nanotechnology to "atomically modify"
thecharacteristics of local rice varieties, thus
circumventing the controversyover genetically modified
organisms (GMOs). The university's"nanobiotechnology"
research program, which is funded by the National
Research Council of Thailand, involves drilling a nano-sized
hole (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter) through
the wall and membrane of a rice cell in order to insert
a nitrogen atom. The nitrogen atom is shot through the
hole to stimulate rearrangement of the rice's DNA.
Research Director Thiraphat Vilaithong said that the
research program has already succeeded in modifying the
color of a local rice variety. The program's eventual
goal is to develop jasmine rice varieties that can be
grown all year long, with shorter stems and improved
grain color. Vilaithong said that one of the
attractions of nanobiotechnology is that it avoids using
controversial genetic modification techniques. However,
the press release
says that nanobiotechnology could cause "serious disruptions"
to developing world economies. ETC Group Researcher
Kathy Jo Wetter suggests that rice modified through
nanobiotechology could have the same types of effects as
new strains of rice introduced into Asia during the
Green Revolution. She asks: "Will 2004 bring us full
circle? At what cost to farmers, food security and the
environment are researchers now tinkering with
atomically-modified rice?" According to the press
release, global public and private investment in
nanotechnology is estimated at between US$5-6 billion
per year. Since 1999, US$450 billion has been invested
in nanobiotechnology by venture capitalists alone. The
press release is
available online at the link below.
http://www.etcgroup.org/search.asp?slice=recent
HERBICIDE- AND ANTIBIOTIC-FREE SELECTION OF GM PLANTS
Researchers at the Plant Science Centre in Umeå, Sweden
have developed a unique marker system for identifying
transgenic plants that does not rely on antibiotic or
herbicide resistance. The use of such markers has often
been a significant public concern and a reason for
opposition against the technology. Torgny Näsholm and
his colleagues developed a method which relies on
transforming plants with a gene called dao1 which
encodes D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO). DAAO catalyses the
oxidative deamination of a range of D-amino acids, and
the selection strategy is based on the toxicity of
different D-amino acids and their metabolites to plants.
Although the current research reported in the April
issue of Nature Biotechnology describes work carried out
in Arabidopsis, Näsholm is optimistic that this
selection method will prove feasible for use in
agriculturally important species. Visit the website of
the Plant Science Research in Sweden at
http://www.upsc.nu/.
For
more information about the research,
contact
Torgny Näsholm at:
torgny.nasholm@genfys.slu.se
EMBRAPA: NEW GM WAVE COMING
A new
wave of genetically modified (GM) plants is coming and
they will be more relevant to consumers. This was
emphasized by Embrapa’s Alexandre Nepomuceno in a talk
at the III Brazilian Soya Congress, which coincides with
the VII Worldwide Conference of Soya Research at Iguaçu.
Examples given by Nepomuceno were research aimed at a
strawberry with high vitamin C, and soya oil with the
same characteristics as olive oil. He also mentioned
edible vaccines to protect against infant diarrhea and
other illnesses as well as the possibility of plastic
production from plants. Nepomuceno explained that the
adoption of the next phase of GM plants will have to
happen slowly. He noted that society has to be well
informed of what the technology really is and its
potential risks. EMPRAPA or the Brazilian Agricultural
Research Corporation provides feasible solutions for the
sustainable development of Brazilian agribusiness
through knowledge and technology generation and
transfer. More on EMBRAPA at
http://www.embrapa.br/english/index.htm.
Biotech Events
April
19 - 23
Introduction to Biosafety and Risk Assessment for the
Environmental Release of Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs): Theoretical Approach and Scientific Background,
Workshop.
Trieste, Italy
Contact: Programme and Training Unit, ICGEB, Padriciano
99, I-34012 Trieste, Italy; Tel: +39 (040) 3757 333;
Fax: +39 (040) 226 555;
Email:
courses@icgeb.org;
URL:
http://www.icgeb.org/~bsafesrv/bsfn0309.htm#anchor442802
April
26 - May 7
Management of Diversity On-Farm and in Genebank
Collections, Training Course
Wageningen, Netherlands
Contact: International Agricultural Centre (IAC), PO Box
88, 6700 AB Wageningen, The Netherlands; Tel: + 31 (317)
495 495; Fax: + 31 (317) 495 395;
Email:
Training.iac@wur.NL;
URL:
www.iac.wur.nl
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