Transcript Genetically Modified Organisms

Genetically Modified
Foods
Group 1
Introduction
Genetically modified
(GM) foods are foods
derived from organisms
whose genetic material
(DNA) has been
modified in a way that
does not occur
naturally, e.g. through
the introduction of a
gene from a different
organism
Currently available GM
foods stem mostly from
plants, but in the future
foods derived from GM
microorganisms or GM
animals are likely to be
introduced on the
market.
Existing GM crops have
been developed to
improve yield, through
the introduction of
resistance to plant
diseases or of increased
tolerance of herbicides.
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-03-24/news/mn-681_1_genetically-engineered-product-for-food
In the future, genetic
modification could be
aimed at altering the
nutrient content of
food, reducing its
allergenic potential, or
improving the
efficiency of food
production systems
History
1946
1983
1994
1990s
1995
2000
• Scientists discovered that DNA can Transferred between organisms.
• First transgenic plant was developed using anti biotic resistant Tobacco.
• Falvr Savr Tomato was approved by FDA to be marketed in US
• Recombinant Chymosin was approved to be used in several countries.
• In US, Bt Cotton, GM Canola, Bt Corn and several other GM crops got approval
• Scientist developed Golden Rice in which nutrient value is enhanced for the first time.
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-03-24/news/mn-681_1_genetically-engineered-product-for-food
http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/43/executivesummary/default.asp
GM Hormones and Animals
• In some countries, GM bovine somatotropin or rBST is
approved for administration to increase milk production.
• No GM animals approved had been for use as food, but
a GM salmon had been awaiting regulatory approval.
• Major GM grown Plants are corn, soybeans, cotton, canola,
sugar beets, alfalfa, and squash
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-03-24/news/mn-681_1_genetically-engineered-product-for-food
Global Scenario
United
States grows
69.5 Million
ha
Pakistan
grows 2.8
million
hectares of
cotton
South Africa
grows 3.9
million
Argentina
grows 23.9
Million ha
China
grows 4.0
million ha
Canada
grows 11.6
Million ha
India grows
10.8 million
ha
http://organic.lovetoknow.com/GMO_Statistics
GM Process Flow
Identification of
Gene of Interest
Transformation of
Gene into Target
Animal
Check Gene
Expression in
Target Animal
Isolation of gene of
Interest
Check Gene
expression in
Plasmid and extract
out desired clone
Inheritance of Gene
in further
generation
Amplification of
Gene into many
copies
Association of Gene
with Promotor and
Insertion into
Plasmid
http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y4955e/y4955e06.htm
Advantages & Disadvantages of GMOs
Advantages
• With an ever increasing global population, massive 3rd
world hunger, and with an estimation that a child dies for
every two seconds world wide from starvation; this does not
even take into account the number of people who are mal
and undernourished, there is a great promise in the use of
this technology to benefit not only the farmers, but also
societies worldwide.
Cont.…
• Some opportunities to use GM foods for good is:
• Creating plants better resistant to weeds, pest and other
diseases; such as corn
• corn is the most important and widely grown grain in the
United States.
• however, corn cannot reproduce without human aid.
• corn is also vulnerable to many pests and diseases, and corn
requires a lot of nutrients.
Cont.…
• Bigger yields to create more efficient use of land, less uses of
herbicides and other pesticides.
• Foods with better texture, flavor and nutritional value.
• Foods with a longer shelf life for easier shipping.
• Finally, GM foods can create an essential sustainable way to
feed the world
Positive Environmental Impacts of GMO's
• Soil salinity has become a major problem in all agriculture
especially in the San Joaquin Valley. This has made crops
less able to grow and in some cases unable to grow at all.
Notice the white soil, cause by excessive salt in the picture.
Cont…
• Thus we need to research the possibility of using the genes
of salt tolerant plants species (e.g. mangrove) in our
agricultural crops.
• Example of such crop; A gene from the grey mangrove,
Avicennia marina, has been genetically implanted into a
tobacco plant, making it able to tolerate salt stress as well as
showing tolerance to other ionic stresses.
Creating sustainability through GMOs
• Some of the most exciting advances in genetically altered
plants are for non-food sources. Edible vaccinations are one
such area.
• The genetic engineering of plants has the potential to
provide edible plant vaccines that could be used to
immunize individuals against a wide variety of infectious
diseases ranging from cholera to potentially AIDS.
Cont…
• One such example:
• the transgenic potato plants that have been produced and
tested successfully by utilizing a genetically engineered food
to deliver a pharmaceutical immunization against diarrhea.
Disadvantages
• The idea of producing food with desirable qualities paved
the way for the development of genetically modified food
worldwide. Scientists were able to isolate genes with
favorable traits and insert them in crops to produce food
that can resist drought, insects, pesticides and even is more
nutritious.
Cont…
• It started by developing a tomato with a longer shelf life in
1994 called Flavr Savr. But then, it was found that
consumption of this engineered tomato caused stomach
lesions in rats, thus, raising issues about the safety of
genetically modified food in general. Since then, the debate
raise on the disadvantages of consumption of genetically
modified food.
Cont…
• There are some examples of the list of disadvantages of such
practice;
• Genetically modified ingredients can cause cancer:
• A consultant histopathologest at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary,
Dr Stanley Ewen, raised the concern that food and water
contaminated with genetically engineered material could
increase the growth of malignant tumors upon contact with
humans. Later, other studies suggested a link between
engineered food and cancer.
Cont.…
• It could raise new allergy outbreaks in humans:
• It was found that a genetically engineered soya bean
containing Brazilian nut protein was allergenic to humans
and was withdrawn from production.
Cont.…
• It is un-natural way of producing food:
• There will always be unknown long term effects to the
ecosystem and biodiversity when inducing unnatural ways
to change the natural traits of crops.
Cont…
• Adverse effects on the immune system:
• A study in 2008 showed that feeding mice engineered food
for 30 days caused an immune reaction and altered the
number of cells that regulated the immune functions in the
body.
Cont.…
• Under-Developed countries becoming more dependent on
other communities:
• This was raised when developing the golden rice, a
genetically modified rice that contains larger amounts of
vitamin A, which can be beneficial to poor people in
developing countries. However, it is usually the large
companies of the developed world that can produce such
crop engineering which will increase the dependency of
poor countries on the West world.
Cont.…
• The effects of genetic food engineering could be irreversible:
• All the disadvantages mentioned above are probably
irreversible, especially the harmful effects on the
environment and human health which is an inevitable
outcome to the fast pace development of biotechnology and
genetic engineering.
• Consuming the highest quality of nutrients is the best
option for a healthy lifestyle that can even reverse the
adverse effects already implemented by GM food.
Regulations on Genetically Modified Foods
• Compared to other countries, regulation of GMOs in the US is
relatively favorable to their development.
GMOs are an
economically important component of the biotechnology industry,
which now plays a significant role in the US economy
• In 2013, 93% of the soybeans, 90% of the cotton, and 90% of the
corn grown in the US were genetically engineered for either
herbicide tolerance or insect resistance
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php
Regulations on Genetically Modified Foods
FDA
EPA
• GMOs in food, drugs, and biological products are regulated by
the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the
Public Health Service Act.
• GMO pesticides and microorganisms are regulated by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursuant to the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and the Toxic
Substances Control Act.
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php
APHIS
• Plant GMOs are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture’s
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the
Plant Protection Act.
Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS)
• APHIS regulates the planting, importation, or transportation of GM
plants pursuant to its authority under the Plant Protection Act which
authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit or restrict the
importation, entry, exportation, or movement in interstate commerce
of any plant, plant product.
• APHIS grants authorization to use GM plants in three ways: through
a notification process, a permitting process, or a determination of
nonregulated status.
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php
Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS)
• Notification process: The notification procedure is available to
plants that are not classified as noxious weeds, or weeds in the
release area, if certain criteria and performance standards are met.
• Permit Procedure: The permit procedure requires an applicant to
submit information concerning, among other things, the donor
organism, the recipient organism, the composition of the regulated
article etc.
• Determination of Non-regulated Status: GM plants that have been
tested and have been shown not to pose a risk may be eligible for a
determination of nonregulated status
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• The FDA encourages developers of new plant varieties intended for food
use, including GMOs, to engage in a consultation procedure with the
FDA, in order “to ensure that human food and animal feed safety issues or
other regulatory issues (e.g. labeling) are resolved prior to commercial
distribution.
• Biological products (Vaccines, serums, blood products etc.) whether
involving genetic modification or not, must be licensed by the FDA before
they can be introduced.
• FDA also asserts jurisdiction over genetically engineered animals, a
NADA for a GE animal must include information on the animal’s
identification; chemistry; clinical purpose; labeling; manufacturing
procedure, safety etc.
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php
http://fas.org/biosecurity/education/dualuse-agriculture/2.-agricultural-biotechnology/us-regulation-of-genetically-engineered-crops.html
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• The EPA regulates the manufacture, sale and use of pesticides under
the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
• FIFRA requires all pesticides to be registered with the EPA before
they can be distributed commercially
• EPA regulates plants that are genetically modified to produce
substances intended to control pests as to both their environmental
safety and their safety in food, termed plant-incorporated protectants
(PIPs)
• The EPA also has authority to regulate GMOs under the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA)
• The EPA has established regulations specifically for
microorganisms that require submission of a Microbial Commercial
Activity Notice (MCAN) before they are used for commercial
purposes.
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php
What does Islam say about GM Food?
• Religious views on genetically modified foods have been mixed,
although as yet, no "GM“ foods have been designated as
unacceptable by religious authorities.
• The major concern, echoing anti-GMO activist claims that genetic
modification violates ‘nature,’ revolves around whether GM foods
violate the natural order of things.
• Some Qurani verses stress that believers who feed the hungry will
be rewarded in the afterlife. There are also passages in the Quran
which “motivate Muslims to conduct research and investigate God’s
creation.”
• On the other hand, environmental activist organizations have
claimed that GM crops can harm humans and the environment.
• So the debate has no end…
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2013/11/26/debating-genetically-modified-food-an-islamic-perspective/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_genetically_modified_foods
Authorizing Bodies in Pakistan
• Ministry of Science and Technology
• Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC)
• National Bio-Safety Committee (NBC)
• Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
Scenario in Pakistan
• In Pakistan the introduction of genetically modified seeds in market
has not faced any positive response due to Islamic concerns and lack
of technology at majority farms.
• The Lahore High Court has ordered the federal government to stop
issuing licenses for genetically-modified (GM) varieties of cotton or
corn until a legal framework is put into place to assess the new types
of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that are fast cropping up
every day.
• The decision effectively halts and prohibits the supply and sale of
fresh GM seeds in Pakistan including pest-resistant strains of Bt
cotton and Bt corn. These varieties are genetically altered to be
more resistant to certain types of pests and diseases.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1106195/court-stops-regulator-from-issuing-licences-for-modified-seeds
http://www.mintpressnews.com/pakistan-says-no-to-gmos/193269/
Scenario in Pakistan
• The Farmers Association of Pakistan has been complaining about
the sale of poor quality Bt cotton seeds in the open market for quite
some time.
• The commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops, in the
absence of a strong regulatory system, trained staff and wellequipped laboratory to deal with the issues involved are the biggest
problems that have to be resolved in order to save the resources.
• “The use of uncertified varieties of GM seeds increase input costs
for farmers. The low levels of pest resistance in these seeds have
increased insects’ immunity, necessitating the use of nearly double
the normal amount of pesticides. The NBC also relaxed germination
levels for crops from 75 per cent under Seed Act, 1976 to less than
50 percent,” Chaudhry Gohar, a progressive cotton farmer from
Multan, told Dawn.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1105680/regulatory-system-urged-for-gm-crops
Scenario in Pakistan
• the NBC’s requirements and bio-safety standards are compromised
when it comes to designing, monitoring, implementing and
enforcing rules and regulations concerning GM crops.
• “The NBC has been functioning without plant breeders, bio-safety
experts, entomologists, agronomists, ecologists, biochemists,
microbiologists, and other qualified staff not only to independently
check data provided by seed producers but also to assist farmers in
establishing refuge and buffer zones between GM and non-GM
crops to delay resistance development in pests and prevent crosspollination and contamination of GM crops”, an agriculture expert
said.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1105680/regulatory-system-urged-for-gm-crops
http://inspirationgreen.com/assets/images/Food%20blog%202010/Monsanto/gmo_canola.jpg
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