Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Biopharming and Beyond
GMOs on SteroidsMartin Donohoe
Biopharming
The engineering of plants to produce pharmaceuticals such as enzymes, antibiotics, contraceptives, abortifacients, antibodies, chemotherapeutic agents, other medications, vaccines, and industrial and research chemicals
Biopharming
Rationale: Farmers/farms cheaper than
technicians/manufacturing plants Seeds/silos may be cheap storage system ?Cheaper drugs? – doubtful given history of
pharmaceutical industry pricing patterns; also, multiple externalized costs
Approximately 400 field tests worldwide since 1991 (over 100 in U.S.)
Top 12 Biopharm States
1 – Nebraska 7 – California
2 – Hawaii 8 – Texas
3 - Puerto Rico 9 – Florida
4 – Wisconsin 10 – Washington
5 – Iowa 11 – North Carolina
6 – Kentucky 12 - Maryland
Biopharming
More than 15 companies involved in US (75 companies worldwide)
USDA conceals crop locations from public and neighboring farmers, in most cases hides identity of drug or chemical being tested, citing trade secretsEven state agriculture regulators often unaware of info re drug or chemical involved
Major Biopharm Crops
Corn Soybeans Tobacco Rice
Examples of biopharmed crops
Drug/Chemical
Use Test Crop
Laccase Textiles, adhesives
Corn
Folic acid Vitamin Tomatoes
Erythropoeitin
Anemia Tobacco
Examples of biopharmed crops
Drug/Chemical
Use Test Crop
Essential fatty acids
Cell membrane production
Soybeans
SARS vaccine
Immunization
Tomato
Vaccine against pollen
allergies
Immunization
Rice
Examples of biopharmed crops
Drug/Chemical
Use Test Crop
Traveler’s and other Diarrheas
Immunization/
Drug
Rice, Potatoes and Corn
Insulin Treatment of Diabetes
Safflower
Insulin-like Growth Factors
Diabetes, Growth,
Carcinogen
Rice
Potentially Harmful Biopharmaceuticals
Substance Use Known or Potential Effects
Acanthocyanin in tomatoes
Antioxidant, anti-cancer
agent
Unknown
Aprotinin in corn
Blood clotting
Pancreatic disease, allergic reactions
Potentially Harmful Biopharmaceuticals
Substance Use Known or Potential Effects
Anti-sperm antibody in corn
Contraception
Adverse reproductive impacts
Trypsin in corn
Enzyme - research, industrial uses
Occupational asthma
Avidin in corn Research Vitamin B deficiency, allergic reactions
Potentially Harmful Biopharmaceuticals
Substance Use Known or Potential Effects
Ebola immune complex in Nicotiana benthamiana
Vaccine against highly pathogenic, dangerous virus
Immune system effects
Taliglucerase alfa in carrots
Gaucher’s Disease
Two similar drugs made in mammalian cells already available
Potentially Harmful Biopharmaceuticals
Substance Use Known or Potential Effects
Tricosanthin in tobacco
Failed anti-HIV drug
Highly toxic - allergic reactions, induced abortions
Alpha-amylase in corn
Digests starch to sugars (aids biofuel production)
unknown
Opposition to Biopharming
National Academy of SciencesUnion of Concerned ScientistsBritish Medical Association (favors
moratorium on all GM foods)Consumers Union
Opposition to Biopharming
Grocery Manufacturers of AmericaNational Food Processors AssociationOrganic Consumers AssociationFriends of the EarthOthers
Biopharm Proponents Claims Inflated/Unrealistic
Farmers are unlikely to be major beneficiaries:Market forces, including foreign competition, will drive down farmer compensation
Acreage required very small compared with commodity crop acreage, such that only a small number of growers will be needed
Genetic Modification of Algae and Trees
GE algae (for use as fuel): dangers include worldwide spread and possible weaponization to destroy fish stocks
Mercury-splicing bacteria for soil cleanup Removes Hg2+ ions from contaminated soil and
converts it into volatile elemental mercury, which is released into the atmosphere
Problem - converted by phytoplankton to organic mercury, dispersed widely, and then works its way up the food chain
Genetic Modification of Vertebrates
Aquabounty Technology’s GE salmon (contains growth hormone gene from chinook salmon and genetic on-switch from the ocean pout)Designed for more rapid growthAquabounty states it will only produce sterile females
Up to 15% may escape pens and interbreed with wild stocks, decreasing the species’ reproductive fitness
GE salmon have higher levels of IGF-1 (carcinogen)
WA, OR and MD have banned
Genetic Modification of Vertebrates
Tilapia/clotting factor VII “Ruppy” (Ruby Puppy)
Glows red under UV light Developed using red fluorescent gene from sea
anemones Artist Eduard Kac:
Glow-in-the-dark rabbit “Plantimal” (petunia-human hybrid)
Genetic Modification of Vertebrates
“Popeye Pig” – Pig GM with spinach gene, designed to have less saturated fat
Pigs modified with roundworm gene to make their own (heart healthy) omega-3 fatty acidsAccidentally turned up in poutry feed sold throughout Ontario(2004)
Goats GM to make anti-nerve gas agent
Biopharming of Vertebrates
“Enviropig” – GM modified with E. coli and mouse DNA to digest phytates, decrease phosphate in excrementPhytase (pig feed supplement) does same thing
Pig feed can already be supplemented with phytase
Idea shelved
Genetic Modification of Vertebrates
Cows modified to produce “human” milk
Proposal to genetically modify human embryos to make all humans intolerant to red meat (to combat global warming and overuse of water)
Genetic Modification of Vertebrates
USDA Office of the Inspector General has criticized USDA for lacking coordinated oversight of regulations behind R and D of GE animals and insects
Human-Animal Hybrids
Inter-species breedingApe-man, Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov, Guinea, 1927
Stalin attempted to create interspecies (half-men/half-apes) “super-warriors”
2011: Chimeric monkey created from 6 different parents
Human-Animal Hybrids and More
UK scientists have created over 150 human-animal hybrid embryos to develop embyronic stem cells
De-extincting Neanderthal using human womb
Cloning of extinct species, “Pleistocene rewilding”
Synthetic Biology (Synbio)
Creation of DNA and organisms from scratch
Applications:BiofuelsIndustrial chemicalsNatural product substitutes - Rubber, vanilla, palm oil
Biomedical applications - Vaccine production
Synthetic Biology (Synbio)
2002: Polio virus created at SUNY Stony Brook over two years
2005: Mt Sinai, CDC researchers resurrect lethal 1918 flu virus and publish details of complete genome sequence
2012: Nature published instructions on how to create plague virus
Risks of Synbio
Accidental release into wild Displacement of wild populations Ecosystem disruption Extinction
Synbio and Beyond
DARPA Project to create living, breathing creatures with possible military applications
Bio hackers (home and community laboratory creation of GM organisms)
