From searcabic at gmail.com Sun Apr 5 10:28:35 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2009 10:28:35 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 05 April 2009 Message-ID: Right click images to view this page properly. If this e-mail does not appear as a web page, please click here. *Posted 05 April 2009* *PHILIPPINES* 1-SOLON FILES BILL FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER 2-MEMBRANE SEPARATION PROCESS: A SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR WATER PURIFICATION, INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER RECYCLING AND REUSE 3-'SUPER CARABAOS': A WHOLE LOT MORE OF BEEF, MILK *TAIWAN* 4-GOVERNMENT AIMS TO MAKE BIOTECHNOLOGY A TRILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY *MALAYSIA* 5-MALAYSIA TO BECOME BIOTECHNOLOGY HUB *GLOBAL* 6-GATES FOUNDATION PAYING $24M TO IMPROVE CROP SCIENCE FOR POOR NATIONS 7-BIOTECHNOLOGY CRUCIAL TO SOLVING THE CLIMATE CRISIS *1-SOLON FILES BILL FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER* by Anna Valmero 02-April-2009 INQUIRER.net Senator Edgardo Angara has filed Senate Bill 3139, which allows the total research and development (R&D) cost and prices of shares of stocks in biotechnology companies as tax deductible. This bill seeks to propel the biotechnology industry in the country by offering the private sector incentives to invest in biotechnology R&D and building a biotechnology center. At present, majority of the government?s investments in biotechnology R&D is awarded through a government corporation, Angara said in a statement. ?We need to put in place the appropriate policy environment to promote bio-industry development. This legislation aims to address the weaknesses of our system to enable the country to develop a biotechnology-based industry,? added Angara. Through the bill, a Philippine Bio-industry Research and Development Center would be established to promote availability of suitable, innovative and competitive bio-based technologies, said Angara who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology. He noted the 21st century is the biotech century, noting the early years would pave way for convergence of agriculture and medicine with pharmaceuticals being produced by genetically engineered plants and the greater acceptance of herbal medicine. The Philippines invested early on biotechnology but Filipino scientists face issues of local employment and ?cumbersome? government accounting resulted in poor fund use. In 1979, the Philippine government invested in biotechnology with the establishment of the National Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology (Biotech), now known as the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os. In mid-1980s, the Department of Science and Technology identified biotechnology as a priority investment area and developed the UPLB science park for business incubation. The Department of Agriculture two years organized its leading research centers?the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Carabao Center and National Fisheries Research Institute into a network of biotechnology research centers for crops, livestock and aquatic resources, respectively. Angara said these investments have not sufficiently fostered the growth of a biotechnology industry because of lack of policies to support research and turning them into marketable products, support for startup companies, and other incentives for industry to develop/adopt new technologies. *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-MEMBRANE SEPARATION PROCESS: A SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR WATER PURIFICATION, INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER RECYCLING AND REUSE *STAR SCIENCE By Michelle D. Almendrala, Ph.D. 02-April-2009 The Philippine STAR ?The current population of slightly more than six billion consumes the resources (water) of one planet Earth. By about 2050, when the population is expected to reach about nine billion, and if standards of living continue to rise, the amount consumed will be the resources of about three planet Earths. Obviously, this scenario is not sustainable.? (Daigger, 2008) In highly populated urban areas and where surface water is used for domestic water supply such as in Metro Manila, a more efficient wastewater treatment must be employed. An environmentally sustainable technology for water treatment should be energy-efficient with minimal or no chemical consumption, and capable of water recycling and reuse that minimizes the direct disposal of wastewater to the aquatic environment. Membrane separation technology has the promise to dramatically improve the sustainability of our water resources. Membrane separation processes are not new or even recent technology. The use of membrane separations started in 1960. In 1980, large membrane filtration plants were already installed worldwide, and microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and electrodialysis membrane processes were established. What is a membrane? A membrane is a highly engineered thin barrier that has the ability to reject various mineral salts, heavy metals, organic molecules, bacteria, parasites, and even viruses, while allowing the permeation or passage of water. Separation is based on the molecular size, shape or character of the species. Membranes may be as thin as a fraction of a micrometer or several millimeters thick. Most people may think that a membrane resembles that of a filter, like the filter paper we use for brewing our coffee. However, a membrane is much more complex in both structure and function. The ability of a membrane to reject dissolved particles depends on the multitude of pores, of incredibly small size, that penetrate its surface. The membrane pores can reject particles as small as 0.0005 micrometer or 0.5 nanometer (nm) and allow water permeation with size equivalent to 0.298 nm. [A micrometer (mm) is a metric unit of length equal to a millionth of a meter while a nanometer is a billionth of a meter. Human hair is approximately 75 mm in diameter. The naked eye can only see particles as small as 40 mm. The smallest bacterium is about 0.22 mm while the size of a virus is even smaller at 0.01 mm.] Membranes or synthetic membranes can be produced from organic materials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic) such as polymers and liquids, as well as inorganic materials ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inorganic). Most of commercially utilized synthetic membranes in separation industry are made of polymeric structures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymeric). The growing interest in membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment is based on the following advantages: Unlike conventional technology, membrane technology has better removal efficiencies. Membrane separation processes can separate a wide range of contaminants ranging from suspended solids to microorganisms. Membrane technology has the capability to address more stringent drinking water regulations, since it prevents the passage of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, bacteria, and virus. Membrane technology, therefore, avoids the risk of microbial outbreaks without any chemical pretreatment. In wastewater treatment, membranes produce a very high effluent quality that meets strict discharge regulations. Thus, effluents can be reused for industrial applications, irrigation, and even as a source of potable drinking water. Membrane systems have flexibility to handle changing feed water conditions and capacity increases. The operation is simple and automated which ensures that system integrity is met. The separation process can be batchwise or continuous. The technology is suitable for small and distributed communities. A membrane filtration system requires a smaller footprint than conventional technologies. Membrane technology needs only half of the footprint of a conventional wastewater treatment plant, thus saving space and money. The capacity of the existing plant can be increased without additional footprint whether for plant upgrade, expansion or for a new plant, thereby providing great capital savings. The membrane has a modular design which makes it possible for easy scale-up. Low energy consumption. Membrane separation processes do not involve any phase change, which makes the process energy-efficient. Membrane separation provides the lowest cost of treated water, as compared to most conventional technologies over the life of the plant. With the increase in number of membrane manufacturers, there is a steady reduction in membrane equipment costs which makes water and wastewater treatment cost much lower. Recycling wastewater from sewage is much cheaper than purifying seawater. Recycling will take care of wastewater disposal problems and water pollution. In Singapore, all over America, Italy, and other parts of the world, where there is water scarcity and water stress, recycling is done unobtrusively. In the recycling plants, the treated water is recharged into the ground and allowed to mix with fresh groundwater before use. Membranes can process very bad water, for example, as bad as floodwater and sewage wastewater with very high concentrations of suspended particles and organic compounds. The use of membrane technology will increase the use of lower quality water, which can be an alternative source of potable and non-potable water supply. These benefits must be reviewed by the government to recognize that membrane technology is an ideal separation process for water and wastewater treatment, and also for environmental applications. * * * *Dr. Michelle C. Almendrala is in the faculty of the School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Mapua Institute of Technology; an associate member of PAASE (Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering); a member of the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers; and a member of the Water Environment Association of the Philippines Inc. (a member-association of the Water Environment Federation, USA). She was selected as a principal candidate for a Fulbright Scholar Advanced Research award in the United States during the academic year 2009-2010 for her research on ?Recycling of Biobutanol Fermentation Broth by Membrane Ultrafiltration? at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Her research interests are membrane separation applications in wastewater treatment and recycling; rice bran oil extraction, fruit juice clarification and concentration by osmotic distillation using hollow fiber membrane. E-mail her at michelle at almario-net.com. * *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-?SUPER CARABAOS?: A WHOLE LOT MORE OF BEEF, MILK* by Anselmo Roque 27-March-2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer SCIENCE CITY OF MU?OZ, Nueva Ecija? Make way for the country?s super carabaos. At the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) here, the male carabao (water buffalo) weighs 750 kilograms and counting, while the female carabao yields 17 to 20 liters of milk a day, according to Dr. Libertado Cruz, the center?s executive director. These carabaos will be the center of attraction on Friday during the launching of three books on the carabao development program to celebrate the PCC?s 17th anniversary. Although Cruz was reluctant to call them ?super carabaos,? the water buffaloes at the gene pool here look hugely different from the native carabaos. The native carabaos weigh an average of 350 kg, while the native dam gives a milk yield of an average of 1.5 liters a day. ?We want the public, particularly the farmers, to see our best performing animals in our gene pool,? Cruz said. ?As they appreciate them, we want to underscore that they, like many farmers now, can produce their own improved breed of carabaos and open opportunities for themselves to become entrepreneurs.? *Beyond draft power* Beyond their draft power, carabaos can help generate income and create jobs, Cruz said. He said about 3.3 million native and crossbred carabaos in the country were used mainly for draft purposes in sugarcane plantations and rice and corn farms, and for hauling. ?The milk, meat, hide and horn businesses from carabaos are still not yet fully developed,? Cruz said. *Prospects for big business* For liquid milk alone, the potential market demand yearly is worth billions of pesos, according to the PCC executive director. Records showed that in 2007, the country spent $652.45 million (about P30.66 billion) for the importation of 287.86 million kg of milk and milk products. While the country?s milk production (from cows, carabaos and goats) increased from 12.79 million kg in 2006 to 13.23 million kg in 2007, the output in 2007 represented only 23 percent of the liquid milk supply. The demand for meat, on the other hand, was equivalent to 400,000 head worth P4 billion, Cruz said. ?We can include the hide and horn of the carabaos as also potential sources of big business in the country. So there?s no doubt that farmers, entrepreneurs and the local economy can ride high on the prospects for business that the carabaos can bring,? he said. *Jobs* Cruz also said carabao enterprises could provide jobs for caretakers, veterinarians and veterinary aides, milk processors, milk and delivery men, village-based technicians, and in the case of dairy cooperatives, bookkeepers and office workers. The PCC, which was established with the passage of Republic Act No. 7307 in 1992, is tasked with conserving, propagating and promoting the carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk and hide. *Carabao Act* It was the declining size, weight and population of the native carabaos that prompted then Sen. Joseph Estrada to author the Carabao Act of 1992. ?Broadly, our task is to pursue the genetic transformation of our native carabaos to produce improved breed for draft, milk, meat, hide and horn purposes,? Cruz said. Through the PCC?s 13 stations across the country, technology transfer on the care and production of carabaos, and teaching and encouraging rural families to engage in carabao enterprises are also pursued. The genetic transformation being done by the PCC, after conducting thorough research and development, is through the production of semen from imported bulls and its distribution for artificial insemination to native carabaos. *Test-tube technique* The center also uses reproductive biotechnology called embryo transfer technology, or the test-tube technique. ?It really takes a long time to produce quality animals from cross breeding. It takes three generations or 15 years to attain 87.5 percent genetic purity for the improved breed of native carabaos,? Cruz said. He said the PCC would continue to select and infuse superior breed from abroad to further improve the breed of carabaos in the country. *------------------------------------------------------------* *TAIWAN 4-GOVERNMENT AIMS TO MAKE BIOTECHNOLOGY A TRILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY *by Flor Wang 26-March-2009 Taiwan Times Taipei, March 26 (CNA) The government is aiming to push the production value of the domestic biotechnology to over NT$1 trillion (US$30 billion) per year, Minister without Portfolio Chang Chin-fu said Thursday. Biotechnology will be given priority among six sectors targeted by the Executive Yuan to become star industries, Chang said, as he announced the immediate launch of the "biotechnology takeoff package" at the weekly Executive Yuan meeting. President Ma Ying-jeou said Wednesday that the government will promote biotechnology, green energy, tourism, medical care, cultural innovation and refined agriculture as Taiwan's new star industries. "The government will fully support these sectors as a means of pushing Taiwan to gain an advantage in the global industrial realignment that will occur when the worldwide economic crisis comes to an end, " the president said at the opening of a technology industrial park in central Taiwan's Taichung County. Stressing that Taiwan must be part of the global efforts to develop the industry, Chang said the government is planning to invest NT$60 billion to set up a biotechnology venture capital fund in cooperation with the private sector. Sixty percent of the investment will come from the private sector, while 40 percent will come from the National Development Fund under the Executive Yuan, he elaborated. "We will collect NT$10 billion worth of investment funds in the initial stage, and will gradually increase investment capital to ward off risks," Chang said after the Cabinet meeting. In the medical sector, the Cabinet will initially use the country's strong research infrastructure to create lucrative business opportunities by tapping into Taiwan's talent pool and research resources in the areas of pharmaceutics and medical equipment, he said. Another key aspect of the package will be the establishment of a center to provide a comprehensive service to businesses dealing with pharmaceutics and medical equipment, he said. The services will range from fund raising and legal consultation to technology and management assistance, he added. According to Chang, the government is also planning to open a biotechnology park in the Chupei area in northern Taiwan to help boost the development of related businesses there. It will also establish a food and drug administration similar to the United States', so as to bring Taiwan's regulations on pharmaceutical products up to international standards, he added. The scale of the world medical equipment and pharmaceutics markets reached around US$712 billion and US$194 billion, respectively, in 2007, and Asia is set to become the global hub of the two industries, according to Chang. The government has been assessing the possibility of forging business alliances with Singapore and Australia in these fields in a bid to enhance Taiwan's business cooperation with the international community, he added. *------------------------------------------------------------* *MALAYSIA 5-MALAYSIA TO BECOME BIOTECHNOLOGY HUB *by Adalat Khan 29-March-2009 Islam Online "I don't know whether Malaysia has a special recipe for growth, but we do have a great ambition to become a developed country by the year 2020 and to work very hard to achieve this ambition," said Tun Dr. Mahathir Muhammad, the previous prime Minister of Malaysia, to a Jeddah Economic Forum in 2004. (Mohamad) Besides other ambitions of Malaysia, the newest is to become a biotechnology hub. Is this a wild dream or a realistic vision? The facts on the ground point to the latter. Malaysia is set to be a new success story in the biotechnology field. Historically, Malaysia has come a long way since its days as an economy dependent on agriculture and natural resources. *A New Wave in Economic Development* In earlier days, the Malaysian economy depended on natural resources and raw materials including rubber and tin which used to be the main source of national income. These sectors were labour intensive and did not require higher education and skills. However, in the 1960s the government of the day devised new policies revamping its physical infrastructure, financial system and educational system. Heavy investment was made in infrastructure, specifically, an efficient transportation system. Concurrently, the economic planners embarked on a plan to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). These efforts paid off and Malaysia attracted the highest FDI from American and Japanese as well as other investors. The influx of FDI resulted in new exports, mainly manufactured products. Raw materials such as rubber, tin, and palm oil that once constituted 100 percent of Malaysian exports, now only account for 20 percent of the total exports of the country. Manufactured quality products now account for more than eighty percent of its total exports. Between 1991 and 2005 Malaysia's exports had an average annual increase of 13.5 percent making Malaysia the eighteenth largest trading nation to date. Capitalizing on its success in the manufacturing field, Malaysia now aspires to become one of Asia's top biotechnology destinations. Towards this end, many policy initiatives and tangible steps have been taken. *Bio diverse on a Mega Scale* According to the Biotech Corporation Annual Report for 2007, the Malaysian biotech sector is set to attract RM (Ringgit Malaysia) 30 billion by the year 2020, a year also earmarked by the Malaysian government as a milestone, by which Malaysia would have achieved the status of a fully developed nation. This sector is also projected to create around 280,000 badly needed jobs - given the global slowdown and expected un-employment in Malaysia. It is further projected that this initiative will also generate RM 270 billion of revenue accounting for 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) by the year 2020. Malaysia enjoys a comparative advantage in its biodiversity and natural resources. Compared to its neighbor Singapore, Malaysia has vast natural resources including the oldest rainforests in the world which are bio diverse on a mega scale. Malaysia has an estimated 15,000 flowering plant species accounting for nine per cent of the world's total. There are 185,000 animal species, accounting for 16 per cent of the world's total. The 125-acre Forest Research Institute of Malaysia reserve contains more tree species than all of North America. In essence its biodiversity provides a strong starting point for potentially significant achievements in drug discovery. What is needed is to develop proper research and development and to make arrangements for the commercialization of these resources within a sustainable biotechnology environment. (The Biotech Review 2006-2007) Malaysia also has a well spelt out National Biotechnology Plan which provides an organized framework for the development and support of the sector. The government is keen on developing this field and by taking advantage of its ample resources the country is ultimately destined to become a biotechnology hub matching those established in the developed world. *A Model for Muslims Countries* The major focus of Malaysia's biotechnology efforts is in the fields of genomics, pharmaceuticals, biodiesel, nutraceuticals (foods that provide medical or health benefits) and agriculture. As one of the largest producers of palm oil in the world, its biodiesel initiative is expected to provide mega results. This will not only help the global thirst for energy but will also provide cleaner and environmentally friendly fuel to the global communities. Moreover, biodiesel is a renewable energy as compared to fossil fuel which is depleting. The government has also embarked on the ambitious yet realistic policy of converting Malaysia into an educational hub. This is not just lip service but the dream has almost become a reality. Not only are local students opting for Malaysian universities instead of going overseas but thousands of foreign students are studying in Malaysia. It is estimated that by the year 2010 Malaysia will have 100,000 foreign students studying in its public as well as private universities. Incidentally, it will also help the biotechnology industries meet their human capital needs locally. Compared to its neighbour Singapore, the cost for human capital is still competitive. Biotechnology offers many opportunities for every country. As such many countries are climbing on the bandwagon, but the stakes are also very high. Countries which have well thought out biotechnology plans, governmental support and infrastructure will emerge as the greatest beneficiaries of this emerging field. With a huge reservoir of natural resources, excellent infrastructure, and a focused government with the will to make things happen, Malaysia is right on track to becoming a significant global hub for biotechnology in due course. *Sources: Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation. "BiotechCorp Annual Report 2007." 2007. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation. "Biotech review 2005-2007." 2007. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Muhammad, Muhathir. "Islam, Knowledge and other matters." KL MPH Publishing. (2006). Adalat Khan is the president of Mina Management Institute who specializes in Islamic Leadership, Conflict Resolution and Management strategies. His academic qualifications include a Doctorate in Business Administration, Master of Business Administration and various post-graduate diplomas. Born in the NWFP province of Pakistan, Khan is currently permanently residing in Malaysia. He is currently involved in researching Islamic Leadership Principles and its relevance to today's leaders and their organizations. He had appeared in numerous radio and television programs and was associated with Pakistan Television as a compare and talk show host. He has written several articles published in United Nations' publications, international magazines, World Executive Digest, Management Times, and News Straits Times. You can contact him by sending an e-mail to ScienceTech at islam-online.net. **------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 6-GATES FOUNDATION PAYING $24M TO IMPROVE CROP SCIENCE FOR POOR NATIONS *by Sandi Doughton (Seattle Times Science Reporter) 30-March-2009 The Seattle Times The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said Monday it wants to tap top scientific minds to help improve the plight of small farmers in the developing world. The Seattle-based philanthropy announced a $48 million collaboration with the National Science Foundation to fund cutting-edge research on ways to make crops resistant to drought, disease and pests, improve soil quality and tackle a wide range of problems that limit agricultural productivity in Africa and other poor corners of the world. Each organization will provide $24 million over five years. "This partnership with the NSF is an exciting opportunity to tap into the most innovative, transformative ideas the global scientific community can offer," said Rob Horsch, deputy director of the Gates Foundation's agricultural development initiative. Research on genetically-modified plants could be included in the program, said Deborah Delmer, NSF manager for the collaboration, called BREAD: Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development. "Genetic engineering is a tool," she said. "We're not going to hold back any kind of science from being considered in these projects." Unlike most Gates Foundation programs, those who get grants under the new collaboration will be selected largely through the NSF's well-established peer review process. The process enlists experts in various fields to review the relative merits of the thousands of grant applications the federal science organization receives every year. The Gates Foundation also will have a say in grant selection. "The vetting will be done by NSF," Horsch said. "The idea is to do this differently than we handle a lot of other grants, to get that broad solicitation of novel ideas and the very high level of peer-review scrutiny." BREAD will also encourage applications from researchers in the developing world. Some critics question whether science can solve the problems of famine and poverty among poor farmers. "People are hungry for one reason only ? they are too poor to buy food," said Philip Bereano, emeritus professor of technology and public policy at the University of Washington. Until the underlying social and economic conditions responsible for poverty are addressed, "the likelihood is that the NSF/Gates program will make some folks here feel good but not feed many folks over there," said Bereano, who recently helped found the Seattle-based group AGRA Watch, to monitor the Gates Foundation's agricultural programs. The Gates Foundation has committed $1.2 billion to programs to help small farmers, Horsch said. he BREAD program will put out its initial call for grant applications in early June, and will provide more details then. The first grants will be awarded in early 2010. A Web site will be established soon at: www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5338&org=BIO. Sandi Doughton: 206-464-2491 or sdoughton at seattletimes.com *------------------------------------------------------------* *7-BIOTECHNOLOGY CRUCIAL TO SOLVING THE CLIMATE CRISIS* 25-March-2009 Business Wire New Initiative by Novozymes and WWF Sets out to Map How and Where Low Carbon Biosolutions Can Eliminate the First Billion Tonnes of Co2 and Pave the Way to a Green Economy COPENHAGEN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The climate crisis has made it more urgent than ever to find a sustainable way of developing our society. So far, the main effort to combat climate change has focused on reducing the negative impact of the big emmitters. While important, this neither secures all the reductions needed nor does it provide a sustainable economic model for creating jobs, growth and a prosperous society. *From improvements to solutions* This makes it imperative that world leaders grasp the opportunities of a low carbon economy, and support and boost the business and industry that provide us with the low carbon solutions, the world is in urgent need for. The biotechnology industry is such an opportunity because the reductions secured by biotech solutions greatly outnumbers the emissions from its production. Looking at only one specific technology, the enzyme production of Novozymes emitted 1 million tonnes of CO2 eq last year ? but in total helped reduce around 28 million tonnes of CO2 eq. This is because enzymes save large amounts of energy when applied to the production of a varity of every day products, such as paper, washing powder and bioethanol. With this climate positive balancesheet the biotechnology industry is set to become a winner in a new low carbon economy. It is an important part of the solutions needed to secure big emmissions cuts while creating succesfull business models. And we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. Today, only a small part of the potential of biotech is realized. *The ?invisible? solution* Coming together in the Biosolutions Initiative ? Eliminating the first billion tonnes of CO2, WWF and Novozymes now set out to change this: ?Low carbon biotech solutions are a good example of hidden or invisible climate solutions that are all around us already today but are easy to overlook for policymakers, investors and companies. Fighting climate change is also about innovation and finding smarter ways to do things, and biotechnology help us do just that. Accelerating and exploring the further potential of this industry is a crucial part of the climate solutions we are looking for. ?says, Kim Christensen, Director of WWF?s Global Climate Initiative. ?Novozymes is committed to improve and develop biotech solutions in the pursuit of a sustainable global economy. What we offer our customers is to produce more from less input, use less energy in their processes and generate less waste. In order to unlock the full potential of biotechnology, policy makers need to integrate low carbon biotech solutions as part of all major climate strategies. Together with WWF we want to inspire decision makers in building low carbon solutions for our society.? says, Steen Riisgaard, CEO of Novozymes. NOTE: The Bio Solutions Initiative ? Eliminating the first billion tonnes of CO2 will map the first strategic billion tonnes of CO2 reductions from low carbon biotechnology. The partnership will also engage in dialogue with central policy makers and create low carbon business partnerships to ensure that low carbon bio tech solutions become an integrated part of all major climate projects and initiatives Contacts: Novozymes US: Johan Melchior, Corporate Press Manager, +45 3077 0690, jmel at novozymes.com Europe: Ren? Tronborg, Communications Consultant +45 3077 2274, retr at novozymes.com or WWF Nette Kirkegaard, Communications Officer, +45 2980 1808, n.kirkegaard at wwf.dk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *DISCLAIMER*: Articles that are posted in this news service do not necessarily reflect the views of SEARCA. To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org. To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here . [image: Subscribe A Friend] [image: Subscribe A Friend] *Biofuels: beating the heat from changing climate* *Priorities for Fisheries Policy Research Highlighted* *Poverty conference set in Manila * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *Measures of Hope and Promises Delivered: An International Conference on Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact Assessment of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops* *Bangkok, Thailand 21 - 22 April 2009* *2nd Annual Biofuels Summit* *Marina Mandarin, SINGAPORE 25 - 27 May 2009* *International Symposium on Second Green Revolution: Priorities, Programmes, Social and Ethical Issues (BIOSPECTRUM 2009)* *Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, INDIA 02 - 04 July 2009* *-------------------------------------------------------------* *CALL FOR APPLICATION Department of Agriculture, Philippines: Biotechnology Research Fellowship Program 8 Slots Available for Senior Scientist Research Grant and Research Fellowship Grant View details here. CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS Enabling Bio-innovations for Poverty Alleviation for Asia: 2009 Small Grants Competition Program of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Mon Apr 20 09:12:41 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:12:41 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 20 April 2009 Message-ID: Right click images to view this page properly. If this e-mail does not appear as a web page, please click here. *Posted 19 April 2009* *PHILIPPINES* 1-BAR INTENSIFIES SUPPORT FOR AGRI BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH 2-IRRADIATION MAKES FOOD ?SALMONELLA?-FREE 3-GM RICE YIELDS 50% MORE HARVEST EVEN WITH LESS FERTILIZER AND WATER USE 4-BIOTECH CROPS' GLOBAL VALUE REACHES $7.5 BILLION 5-PCC PUTS UP P300-MILLION BIOTECH FACILITY 6-A NEW LOOK AT BIOFUELS *INDIA* 7-Bt BRINJAL MAY BE RELEASED COMMERCIALLY BY YEAR-END *GLOBAL* 8-THE WORLD MUST FEED ITS HUNGRY *1-BAR INTENSIFIES SUPPORT FOR AGRI BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH* by Marvyn N. Benaning 19-April-2009 Manila Bulletin Recognizing the benefits of biotechnology application in agriculture, the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), in partnership with the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) and selected state universities and colleges (SUCs), is intensifying its biotechnology R&D program giving specific attention to traditional and modern biotechnology. The biotechnology program focuses on integrated processing to increase the value and competitiveness of traditional crops intended for local and world markets. This includes the production of natural ingredients with the application of traditional and modern technology and the creation of clusters of natural ingredients industries. With the Philippines being rich in biodiversity, it can exploit and create new products and medicine for the growing global market. In a recent pronouncement of BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar, he noted how biotechnology application in agriculture is seen as an answer to issues in agricultural productivity and food security. With such an initiative, BAR hopes to develop and promote the adoption of new production and postharvest technologies to increase productivity and profitability of selected agricultural commodities while minimizing the environmental impact of farming and fishery practices to effectively manage biodiversity, and help develop science-based policies. The idea is to fast-track agricultural productivity that positively and directly increases farmers? incomes, provides access to nutritious and safer food, and helps achieve a healthy environment. Based at the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os (UPLB), BIOTECH has been promoting agricultural biotechnology that improves the productivity of the industry in turning out products that cost less and are safer for family consumption while at the same time, contributes to a healthy environment. According to Dr. Ida F. Dalmacio of BIOTECH, speculative fear of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and biotechnology has prevented people from understanding the real potentials and benefits of biotechnology application in agriculture. Dalmacio also clarified that there is more to agribiotechnology than the GMOs and expounded on how biotechnology can be applied to agriculture. ?Biotechnology is the application of any technique that uses living organisms, or a part of it, to make or modify a product, to improve plants or animals or to develop substances for specific functions. If applied to agriculture, it simply means to use living organisms or part of it, to improve the productivity of crops, livestock and the fisheries,? she explained. *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-IRRADIATION MAKES FOOD ?SALMONELLA?-FREE* by Lyn Resurreccion / Science Editor 13-April-2009 BusinessMirror Salmonella contamination has been in the news lately in some peanut-butter and pistachio brands. First, peanut-butter brands from the US were reported contaminated. Later on, samples from two local brands were reported tainted. Now it?s pistachio nuts mainly from the US that are affected, although most of the brands were voluntarily recalled just as a precaution. Salmonella bacteria are the most frequently reported cause of food-borne illness, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) web-site fact sheet said. To reduce salmonellosis or Salmonella infection, it said, a comprehensive farm-to-table approach to food safety is necessary. Farmers, industry, food inspectors, retailers, food-service workers and consumers are each critical links in the food-safety chain. The Salmonella family includes more than 2,300 serotypes of bacteria which are one-celled organisms too small to be seen without a microscope. Two types, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium, are the most common in the United States and account for half of all human infections. Salmonella lives in the intestinal tract of humans and other animals, including birds. It is usually transmitted to humans by eating food contaminated with animal feces. Being heat-sensitive, Salmonella present in raw meat and poultry could survive if the product is not cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature, the USDA said. Salmonella can also cause salmonellosis through cross-contamination, wherein juices from raw meat or poultry come in contact with ready-to-eat foods, such as salads. The bacteria have been known to cause illness for over 100 years. They were discovered by American scientist Dr. Daniel E. Salmon. To prevent food from Salmonella contamination, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) said the use of irradiation may be among interventions that may be used. Zenaida de Guzman, head of PNRI?s biomedical research section and project leader of food-irradiation research and development project, said that in tandem with Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points the use of irradiation in food may eliminate pathogenic microbes. ?We want the public to know that we use this technology [irradiation] to eliminate microbes, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria in food,? de Guzman told the BusinessMirror in an interview. De Guzman, however, was quick to say that the peanut butter and pistachio which were recently found or still suspected to be contaminated with Salmonella could no longer be irradiated by the PNRI. She explained that only raw agricultural materials are irradiated, like the peanut in the peanut butter, or the raw pistachio, because the finished products have already passed a long process?from planting to harvesting, drying, processing, up to transporting, which might have caused the contamination, or that toxins might have already developed. ?Agricultural raw materials have many sources of microbial contamination, including water,? she noted. Besides, she said, food irradiation observes certain protocols, wherein the raw food materials are irradiated immediately after they are dried after harvest to prevent the development of more microbes. She said if there is a big amount of microbes present, it might require a higher dose of irradiation that may affect the quality, taste or color of the produce. However, she said Filipino food manufacturers should consider irradiation to make their products free from disease-causing bacteria. Irradiation uses high-energy ionizing radiation, a PNRI flyer said, to reduce postharvest losses, disinfest fresh fruits and other agricultural products, extend shelf life of food and agricultural commodities, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and seafood, reduce microbes that cause spoilage and eliminate pathogenic microbes. De Guzman explained that irradiation?which uses 300 Gray (Gy) to 1,000 Gy dose, depending on the product that will be irradiated?is safe for human and animal consumption because there is no radioactive residue left on the product. ?It is like putting the product under x-ray,? she noted. The PNRI?s irradiation facility was set up as pilot-scale in 1984 and was upgraded to semicommercial scale in 2008. It could handle 2 tons of products per load. It irradiates spices and dehydrated vegetables, such as ground black and white peppers, powders like cayenne, turmeric, onion, garlic, ginger, tamarind, chives and other condiments. De Guzman added that there is a growing volume of herbal products, like ampalaya and malunggay powder, that are irradiated at the PNRI. The same with frozen fruits for export that are used in the production of ice cream. Fresh onions and garlic also undergo irradiation in the PNRI facility to inhibit sprouts. It, likewise, irradiates medical products for sterilization purposes, such as syringes, cotton, orthopedic implants, gauze, tubings, catheters. She said that in foreign countries 80 percent use irradiation for sterilization. In the US even pet foods are irradiated. Patties for hamburgers, hot dogs or frozen chicken may also be irradiated. De Guzman announced that the Philippines may soon export mango to the US after the three-year study affirmed the absence of seed weevil in the whole country. Luzon and Visayas were already found to be seed weevil- free. The results of the same study in the Mindanao situation are being awaited this year. The mangoes for export to the US will still be irradiated against fruit flies. In another export prospect, de Guzman said China is making inquiries on its possible importation of irradiated mangoes from the Philippines. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-GM RICE YIELDS 50% MORE HARVEST EVEN WITH LESS FERTILIZER AND WATER USE *by Melody M. Aguiba 10-April-2009 Manila Bulletin A genetically modified (GM) rice that can give 50 percent more harvest while requiring less fertilizer and water is seen as a long term solution to low yield in resource-scarce, poverty-stricken farms threatened by climate change. The GM rice will have more efficient carbon dioxide capture with its enhanced capacity for photosynthesis, the process of using solar energy to capture carbon dioxide and converting it into growth-inducing carbohydrate in plants. Some rice plants have inefficient means for photosynthesis, known as C3. However, Dr. John Sheehy, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) project leader for the GM rice, said that using C4 photosynthesis, rice plant?s capacity to convert solar energy in producing a richer grain can be enhanced particularly in tropical climates. ?Converting the photosynthesis of rice to C4 would increase yields by 50 percent, and that C4 would also use water twice as efficiently. The benefits of this breakthrough would be immense in developing countries where billions of poor people rely on rice as staple,? said Sheehy. A total of $11 million has been allocated for this study. In a related development, IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler said IRRI needs $150 million over 10 years or $15 million yearly for the Rice Action Plan (RAP) that would speed up development of high yielding rice varieties. The plan aims to develop new high yielding rice inbreds and hybrids out of thousands of rice varieties that are stored at IRRI?s gene banks and tap into these germ-plasms? yet unexplored genetic resources. Aside from the development on the genetic side of rice, the program will increase the delivery of postharvest facilities in rice-producing areas in order to cut the losses that can amount to as much 20 percent of harvest. Its aim is also to train more rice breeders that are working on research and development projects funded by both the private sector and the government. The RAP was approved by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry in October last year. *------------------------------------------------------------* *4-BIOTECH CROPS' GLOBAL VALUE REACHES $7.5 BILLION* by Rudy A. Fernandez 06-April-2009 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - The global market value of biotechnology crops reached $7.5 billion in 2008, up from $6.9 billion in 2007. Last year?s $7.5 billion represented 14 percent Dr. Clive James, founder and current board chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). New York (USA)-based ISAAA is a not-for-profit organization with an international network of centers designed to contribute to the alleviation of hunger and poverty by sharing knowledge and crop biotechnology applications. The network includes the Southeast Asia Center based in Los Ba?os, Laguna, headed by Dr. Randy Hautea, currently ISAAA global coordinator and former director of the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB). Dr. James? report, titled ?Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2008?, was presented by Dr. Hautea and former UP president Dr. Emil Q. Javier at a media forum last Feb. 12 at the Richmonde Hotel in Pasig City. In his report, the Welsh-born research administrator projected that the global value of the biotech crop market for 2009 is approximately $8.3 billion. Of the genetically modified (GM) crops produced in 2008, biotech maize constituted the biggest chunk of the global biotech market ? $3.6 billion or 48 percent. It was followed by soybean, $2.8 billion (37 percent); cotton, $0.9 billion (12 percent); and canola, $0.2 billion (three percent). The other biotech crops raised in 2008 in 25 countries were papaya, squash, tomato, sweet pepper, alfalfa, poplar, petunia, carnation, and sugar beet. *------------------------------------------------------------* *5-PCC PUTS UP P300-MILLION BIOTECH FACILITY* by Jennifer A. Ng / Reporter 06-April-2009 BusinessMirror THE Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) is constructing a P300-million biotechnology center under a three-year multicommodity research and development project funded by a soft loan program of the United States government dubbed as the Public Law 480. An attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), PCC is the country?s new biotechnology center for ruminants. The agency is expanding its center to serve as a common facility for dairy and meat animals not only for carabao, but also cattle, goat and sheep. ?We?re able to get funding for multicommodity research which allows us to cut across commodities other than just carabao,? Dr. Libertado Cruz, PCC executive director, said in a statement. PCC intends to fully use the marker-assisted selection (MAS) method in choosing the best animal breeds it intends to reproduce. An equipment the PCC plans to acquire is the DNA sequencer. At a cost of P18 million to P20 million, the sequencer helps research identify animals with superior traits. It is especially useful for breeding animals that could produce higher quantities of milk than the average animal. Animals that have the DNA markers associated with the good traits are mated with other superior animals. The semen of these animals would be distributed for crossbreeding with native animals through artificial insemination. The PCC is also expanding its cryobank, a gene bank for animal embryos, semen, blood and tissue?both native and foreign breeds?that need to be preserved. Preservation through cryobanking in below zero degrees temperature would enable researchers to reproduce a specific breed known to carry a genetic trait of important economic value, such as high milk production and quality meat characterized by good marbling, tenderness and high-protein content. Cruz noted that even the local breed may have future uses. ?The indigenous breed has distinct advantage which we don?t require at the moment but can be valuable in the future. One is resistance to disease, resistance to heat, and many others that have not yet been identified. The problem is that genes that regulate this resistance have not yet been identified,? he said. The only animal-gene bank in the Philippines, the cryobank is in Mu?oz, Nueva Ecija, where the headquarters of PCC is also located. The cryobank has a total of 76,249 accessions including purebreds and crossbreds of carabao and cattle. It also keeps 2,168 native germplasms. The agency has started ranking its own buffaloes according to expected breeding value (EBV). It has 881 animals that have EBVs which indicate milk production record of female animals. For the male buffalo, researchers place an EBV on potential for milk production based on the milk production of their female offspring. Cruz said the PCC?s capability to determine molecular markers will also enhance the country?s ability to conduct quarantine or sanitary and phytosanitary processes when screening animals against diseases prior to importation. The agency noted that the Philippines in the past had imported sick animals whose diseases have spread in the country because it lacked adequate ability to quarantine animals and test them with technical capabilities at the molecular level. Cruz also said that PCC?s ?capability for traceability through molecular markers? will be useful in the country?s long-term plan to export meat products. He noted that traceability is now a feature in food safety required by the export market, as the market is seriously concerned about the origin of farm products. *------------------------------------------------------------* *6-A NEW LOOK AT BIOFUELS * Development Dialogue by Nora O. Gamolo 02-April-2009 Manila Times Many landholders and land owning politicians tried to cash in on the promising bio-fuels program through wanton land conversion, allegedly to skirt agrarian reform, among other bad goals. Some long-time settlers and indigenous peoples were displaced when their lands were used for jatropha production. For the propertied investors, the program can later become manna, since the law had given them tremendous boosters and policy perks. With such a dubious start, especially in jatropha production, the biofuels program became controversial. Yet, many of the mistakes that accompanied its birthing can be corrected now. The program can even be used to improve small farmers? lives if we could correct some fallacies and misconceptions, and amend the existing law to insert preferential options for the poor provisions?or draft a new and better law. Owing to its omissions and ambiguities, the existing law can be considered as a work still in progress. The best way, in fact, to neutralize people?s resistance and the unsavory controversies that attended the program?s start is to make sure benefits will trickle to the people this time, not to halt in the hands of big landlords, corporate interests and land grabbers. To do this, you have to work with the people. The trainors in the Impact Assessment of Biofuels Seminar organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture maintain that favored jatropha and other biofuel crops need not displace food crops. Instead, they should be used as supplemental crops that could in some cases even enrich the soil. Jatropha could be intercropped with rice, corn, cassava and other tubers, sweet sorghum and vegetables, among others. In fact, you should only plant it with other crops as it takes at least three years before jatropha can reward you for your efforts. Dr. Nena Espiritu, a UP Los Ba?os forestry professor, disclosed that 87 percent of jatropha project implementers surveyed opined that its production need not compete with food production only because you can plant it on unproductive, idle, hilly/rolling land and marginal areas and can be intercropped. New ways of combining food production with energy crop production have already been developed. Energy crops can be targeted for the more marginal lands, while food crops can be grown on more favorable lands. Communities and their local governments should follow their Comprehensive Land Use Plan. They should not allow the use of prime land, but use only marginal land, for ja-tropha production. Jatropha production can help raise the incomes of small farmers and rural laborers, and may in fact lead to improved food security, stresses Dr. Espiritu. These knowledge should now correct the bad practice of converting rice land into purely jatropha-producing land. This continues unfortunately to be done even now that we have a rice shortage and have to import rice often enough. You also do not need a big corporate affair to process jatropha, since its production can be done in the village level, to be participated in by small farmers and their cooperatives that could either sell jatropha seeds, raise seedlings or cut-tings, or process them into their own biofuels. Dr. Espiritu cited one local government that has ventured into assisting small farmers in processing indigenous and locally produced biofuel that it feeds to its own vehicles. The Visayas State University maintains vehicles that run on biofuels. These projects have upgraded the people?s science intelligence quotient by simply germinating biofuel crops in their communities. Rafael Coscolouella, director of the Sugar Regulatory Administration and deputy director of the National Biofuels Board (NBB), calls for our support of the biofuels program, not just because it can provide much-needed jobs in the rural areas, but also because it can supply vital power needs. In Negros, a bioethanol project operates as a cogeneration project, producing energy uploaded to the power grid. The program can in fact be used to spur village production centers of small farmers, rather than concentrate on big production ventures that benefit only the business sector. The need for biofuels is tremendous. Of the country?s energy sources, coco methyl ester (CME) production can only supply less than 1 percent. Using biofuels will greatly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, said forester Dr. Rodel Lasco. He shared scientific projections that if global temperature rises by two degrees, 30 percent of the world?s biodiversity will be wiped out. Dr. Lasco is one of four Filipino scientists who are members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and a co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize won by the elite group. The Biofuels law enacted in 2007 mandated the increased use of biofuels. On February 6, the mandated minimum of 5-percent bioethanol fuel blend for gasoline became effective. Fuels available in pump stations for gasoline-fed vehicles are 10-percent bioethanol fuel blend or E-10 and pure gasoline. On February 6, 2011, the mandated minimum of 10 percent-bioethanol fuel blend will become effective, subject to final recommendation of the NBB depending on the local supply of bioethanol. Biofuel production can open new socioeconomic and scientific vistas for the Philippines. Agricultural research can and must help enhance overall crop productivity, while policy researches are in order to correct some of the biofuel?s law and program?s weaknesses. *------------------------------------------------------------* *INDIA 7-Bt BRINJAL MAY BE RELEASED COMMERCIALLY BY YEAR-END *15-April-2009 Business Standard Bt brinjal, the country?s first genetically modified (GM) edible product, is in the final stage of getting a clearance from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the biotechnology regulatory body of the Government of India. The Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company-(Mahyco-) developed Bt brinjal had run into trouble last year with the Union health ministry and consumer organisations raising questions about its safety with regard to health. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Usha Barwale Zehr, joint director (research), Mahyco, said, ?We have already got the GEAC?s permission to produce Bt brinjal seeds for field trials, which have been completed. The scientific papers and data of the field trials have been submitted by the Review Committee on Genetic Modification (RCGM). It has been tested to be absolutely safe. We have applied for the commercial release of Bt brinjal seeds to the GEAC and hope it will be approved by the end of this year.? In 2006, Mahyco, a leading seed company in India, which had successfully introduced cutting-edge biotech products such as Bt cotton hybrids, had applied for the commercial release of Bt brinjal, but GEAC had asked the company to conduct some more studies. Mahyco had completed those studies and submitted the reports along with the application for commercial release again in 2008, Zehr said. About the NGO campaigns against the release of Bt brinjal, fuelled by global studies questioning the health and safety of genetically modified edible products, Zehr claimed that in terms of composition, it was not different from the normal brinjal, except for the additional Bt protein. It would also improve the marketable yield, she said. A major constraint in brinjal production is plant infestation by fruit shoot borers or FSBs. The pest can cause significant yield loss and reduce the number of marketable fruits. The marketable yield loss due to FSBs is almost 45-60 per cent. Experts had estimated that financial loss to the country because of this 45-60 per cent damage was equivalent to Rs 1,000 crore a year, Zehr said. Bt brinjal can reduce this loss to 10 per cent, she claimed. Moreover, farmers would require 70 per cent less insecticides to fight FSBs in this case, she explained. In India, brinjal is cultivated on 550,000 hectares with average produce of 30 tonnes. According to a study by Mahyco, farmers invested about Rs 100 per pesticide spray per acre for anywhere between 40 and 45 sprays on the 90-day brinjal crop, depending upon the type of infestation, Zehr pointed out. *------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 8-THE WORLD MUST FEED ITS HUNGRY *17-April-2009 Financial Times *EDITORIAL* As we agonise about the recession, we should remember that humanity?s greatest economic problem is more basic: how to get enough food, a challenge still faced by millions. This weekend the Group of Eight leading countries gathers in Italy for its first ever meeting of agriculture ministers. Their goal must be to move food policy up the global political agenda to a position where it is treated as the vital international security matter it is. Last year?s record-high food commodity prices sparked riots as 100m people needed help from the World Food Programme. Thousands of desperate people in dozens of countries took to the streets in upheavals potentially far more destabilising than any reactions the financial meltdown has yet provoked. This danger will not go away. Prices have come down, but remain higher than in decades. Even short disruptions cast long shadows: malnutrition in infancy can permanently impair children?s physical and cognitive development. Climate change, decades of declining investment in agriculture, and current policy mistakes conspire to make the crisis structural. All countries share an interest in food security ? their own, and for the sake of stability, that of others. But they must not confuse security with self-sufficiency. The world can produce enough food for all: as the economist Amartya Sen points out, famines are caused not by lack of food but by income inequality. The poor must get help ? in ways that do not undermine food production. Food exporters and importers alike need well-functioning international markets in food, which encourage efficient global production patterns. The responses to the crisis, sadly, have been in the opposite direction: export bans, land grabs of arable territory and secretive bilateral barter deals. These policies must stop. They are self-destructive and costly, and for poor countries ruinous. They do harm to others, as they undermine trading systems that benefit all. Governments must provide global public goods. Research is needed to boost productivity, especially for African crops, and must not be hampered by opposition to genetically modified food. Mechanisms must be found to hedge against price volatility that discourages production even when prices are high. The G8 has rightly invited important emerging countries to the table. But are agricultural ministers, who usually see their job as helping their own farmers, up to the task? Food security is the greatest threat to human well-being today. It should not be lost in quibbles about the branding of Parma ham. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *DISCLAIMER*: Articles that are posted in this news service do not necessarily reflect the views of SEARCA. To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org. To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here . [image: Subscribe A Friend] [image: Subscribe A Friend] *Psyche and science, friends, not enemies * *Experts stress need for advancing sustainability science * *Biofuels: beating the heat from changing climate* *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *Creating Public Awareness, Knowledge and Understanding of Biotech Crops: Media Conference and Social Marketing of Public Sector Biotech Products in Eastern Visayas* *Ormoc, Leyte 12 - 14 May 2009* *2nd Annual Biofuels Summit* *Marina Mandarin, SINGAPORE 25 - 27 May 2009* *International Symposium on Second Green Revolution: Priorities, Programmes, Social and Ethical Issues (BIOSPECTRUM 2009)* *Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, INDIA 02 - 04 July 2009* *-------------------------------------------------------------* *CALL FOR APPLICATION Department of Agriculture, Philippines: Biotechnology Research Fellowship Program 8 Slots Available for Senior Scientist Research Grant and Research Fellowship Grant View details here. CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS Enabling Bio-innovations for Poverty Alleviation for Asia: 2009 Small Grants Competition Program of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Fri Apr 24 15:20:39 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:20:39 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] ANNOUNCEMENT: Special Seminar on 'Problem Formulation and Tiered Approaches to Risk Assessment', 28 Apr 2009 Message-ID: Right click any image to view this page properly. If this e-mail does not appear as a web page, please click here. The *Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)* and the *SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center* in cooperation with the *Program for Biosafety Systems - Southeast Asia (PBS-SEAsia)* are pleased to invite everyone to the Special Seminar on *PROBLEM FORMULATION AND TIERED APPROACHES TO RISK ASSESSMENT * *Dr. Hector Quemada and Dr. Karen Hokanson* *Risk Assessment Research and Biotechnology and Biodiversity Interface (BBI) Component Program for Biosafety Systems* Drilon Hall, SEARCA College, Laguna, Philippines *28 April 2009 (Tuesday)* 9:00 - 10:30 AM This Special Seminar is open to the public. For further details, visit our website at http://www.bic.searca.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Wed Apr 29 09:47:33 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:47:33 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 29 April 2009 Message-ID: Right click images to view this page properly. If this e-mail does not appear as a web page, please click here. *Posted 29 April 2009* *PHILIPPINES* 1-BIOTECH ABACA VARIETY EYED TO REVIVE TROUBLED INDUSTRY 2-CAYETANO SUPPORTS GENETIC TESTING 3-6TH NATIONAL CORN CONGRESS PRESENTS SEVEN DEMANDS 4-DA UNIT BACKS DEVELOPMENT OF BIOTECH SECTOR *AFRICA* 5-UGANDA: MINISTRY CLEARS GM COTTON, PLANTING TO START IN MAY *GERMANY* 6-GERMANY TO PERMIT TRIALS WITH GMO POTATO *GLOBAL* 7-'FARMING REVOLUTION' ON HORIZON AS SCIENTISTS SEQUENCE COW GENOME FOR FIRST TIME *1-BIOTECH ABACA VARIETY EYED TO REVIVE TROUBLED INDUSTRY* 26-April-2009 The Philippine STAR MARAWI CITY, Philippines ? The Department of Agriculture and the Mindanao State University (MSU) are collaborating to reinvigorate the troubled abaca industry in the south which used to be a big foreign exchange earner through a newly-developed biotechnology variety that has been proven to be resistant to deadly viruses. Director Alicia Ilaga of the DA Biotechnology Program cited during the recent launching of the Biotechnology Information and Resource Center at the MSU main campus cited that the virus resistant abaca developed by the panel of experts led by Dr. Antonio Lalusin of the Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of Plant Breeding in Los could be the solution to fast deteriorating abaca industry, particularly in central Mindanao. Dr. Macapado A. Muslim, the MSU president, acknowledged the need for abaca growers to pursue agricultural modernization in Mindanao, which continues of to be plagued by deadly mosaic, bract mosaic and the bunchy-top viruses which had earlier crippled the Bicol region, which used to be country?s biggest abaca producer. Initially, Muslim has proposed the setting up a of tissue culture laboratories to be hosted by the MSU system, to propagate the newly-developed biotech abaca variety. Ilaga said that Mindanao can fast rehabilitate the dwindling abaca industry, with its vast areas suitable to abaca plantations to meet the country?s export demand. While Bicol accounts for 66 per cent or 52,666 hectares of total abaca area mapped by the DA, it also reported a 27 per cent incidence of viral diseases prompting government to look at Eastern Visayas to augment the abaca needs of the country. But Muslim noted that given the necessary funding for research and development, the MSU can promote truly Filipino biotechnology products starting with the virus ?resistant abaca. He offered to mobilize the 21 agriculture scientists of the MSU College of Agriculture in Marawi to step up government?s efforts in modernizing agriculture in the south. It was gathered that MSU has already submitted 36 project proposals for research and development projects to boost agriculture modernization in the south. ?Given the continuously increasing population in the country, biotechnology is an option? to meet the country?s food demands, Muslim said Meanwhile, Ilaga said that DA Undersecretary Segefredo Serrano will meet with the MSU officials to map out possible collaboration efforts in promoting abaca and other biotechnology crops. ? biolife news service *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-CAYETANO SUPPORTS GENETIC TESTING * 26-April-2009 People?s Journal SENATOR Pia Cayetano was guest of honor and speaker in the recent partnership between the Philippine-based Ambica Biotechnologies and Reliance Life Sciences of India in providing high-end molecular diagnostics and genetic testing in the country held at the Intercon Hotel in Makati City. Both companies are accredited with the National Accreditation Board for Laboratory Testing (NABL) and College of American Pathologists (CAP). Reliance Life Sciences is highly regarded as one of Southeast Asia?s finest in the field of molecular diagnostics and genetics. Through the alliance, Ambica Biotechnologies will provide accurate and affordable access to molecular diagnostics and genetic testing for more Filipinos. Cayetano signified her support towards the advancement of preventive healthcare medicine and modern diagnostics in the Philippines. She urged the medical professionals to support modern diagnostic testing and allow this kind of program to grow in the country. ?There is a need to review policies on the availability and affordability of medicines and promote healthy lifestyle and health care services,? she stresses. The lady Senator has been a constant supporter of preventive healthcare and healthy lifestyle through her ?Pinay in Action? program. ?We have to allow the development of modern technology in preventing diseases. The death of my son Gabriel and my father of liver cancer has been my inspiration towards this kind of advocacy,? she said. Her son was diagnosed in 2001 of pneumonia as a complication from a genetic disease called Trisomy. Dr. Philip Cruz, Ambica Biotechnologies Executive president, said that technologies make it possible to detect genetic diseases in an offspring even before implantation. Genetic testing of an unborn infant can provide information that can help families prepare for the pregnancy, child care and counseling. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-6TH NATIONAL CORN CONGRESS PRESENTS SEVEN DEMANDS * by Manny T. Ugalde 20-April-2009 Manila Times LEGAZPI CITY: The three-day Philippine National Corn Congress here adopted seven vital resolutions in an effort to achieve feeds security, alleviate poverty and address the effect of climate change. With 700 participants from 13 regions representing some two million corn farmers, the Philmaize Federation of corn farmers also sought for the accreditation of Mais Partylist in congress for the coming 2010 national elections, said Romualdo Elvira Jr., executive committee chair of the 6th National Corn Congress and Philmaize Federation director. Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, and Sen. Francis Escudero, who graced the affair, declared their support for the Mais Partylist accreditation, including the other resolutions. The 6th National Corn Congress was held at the Albay Astrodome starting Thursday with the theme ?Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities for the Corn Industry.? Philmaize President Rod Navarro said that climate change had a major effect in corn production. He said the 6th Corn Congress has adapted the Albay declaration on climate change adaptation as a primary framework to fight against food security and disaster-risk reduction. Philmaize said that proper consumption of water, power and materials would help in the sustainable use of nature?s riches. Philmaize noted that of the 7.8 million metric tons yearly production of corn, the agriculture department subsidy for corn program is only P600 million compared to rice subsidy of P30 billion yearly whose production yearly is only 11 million metric tons. There are at least 1.4 million hectares of corn farms with Region II as the biggest producer followed by Regions X and XII. Bicol region has only 40,000 hectares allocated for corn farming. Philmaize also assails the banning of BT corn in Bacolod province after the province passed an ordinance last year that prohibits the entry of genetically modified agricultural products. According to Elvira, corn production during the past year went down by 15 percent due to climate change plus the high cost of fertilizer. Elvira said the 6th Congress concluded with the demand for the creation of the corn cooperative bank initially for regions II, X and XII. He said they are also pushing for the increase of corn prize from P7 to P13 a kilo by the National Food Authority (NFA). He added that the 6th corn congress also pushes for the additional budget by the Philippine Crop Insurance for corn farmers. Among the resolutions passed was for government to impose tariff on imported feed wheat, NFA buying price from P7 to P13 a kilo, increase the budget from P600 million to P3.2 billion and increase of coverage from PCIC. *------------------------------------------------------------* *4-DA UNIT BACKS DEVELOPMENT OF BIOTECH SECTOR * by Riza T. Olchondra Philippine Daily Inquirer 20-April-2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) of the Department of Agriculture plans to strengthen partnerships with the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Biotech) and state universities and colleges (SUCs) to increase the value and competitiveness of traditional crops intended for local and world markets. In a statement, BAR director Nicomedes P. Eleazar said that biotechnology application in agriculture was seen as a solution to problems with agricultural productivity and food security. He said the tie-ups were meant to fast track agricultural productivity that positively and directly increases farmers? incomes, provide access to nutritious and safer food, and help achieve a healthy environment. Based at the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os (UPLB), Biotech has been promoting agricultural biotechnology that improves the ability of the industry to turn out products that cost less and are safer for family consumption. The BAR statement, citing Dr. Ida F. Dalmacio of Biotech, also said there was more to agri-biotechnology than genetically modified organisms or GMOs and expounded on how biotechnology could be applied to agriculture. ?If applied to agriculture, it simply means the use of living organisms or part of it, to improve the productivity of crops, livestock and the fisheries,? Dalmacio said in the statement. *------------------------------------------------------------* *AFRICA 5-UGANDA: MINISTRY CLEARS GM COTTON, PLANTING TO START IN MAY *by Ronald Kalyango 22-April-2009 AllAfrica Kampala ? GENETICALLY Modified cotton will be planted at different sites in May and June this year, an official has revealed. "We are on the right track. The technology providers are positive. They have visited all the sites and at last the trails which had delayed for the last seven years are going to be conducted," said Dr.Tilahun Zeweldu, who has been at the forefront of Bt. Cotton research. Confined field trials are studies that are made by scientists to collect data on any new varieties developed at research stations within the country or outside. The importation of the seeds followed the granting of an importation permit by the crop protection department of the agriculture ministry in February. Speaking recently at a stakeholders meeting at Mosa Court in Kampala, the Monsanto South Africa's business development manager, Danie Olivier, said the trials would be conducted for three consecutive seasons. "The confined field trial will help Ugandan scientists gather information to use when the crop is commercialised," said Olivier. The Monsanto Company is an American multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation and the leading producer of genetically engineered seed, holding 70%-100% market share for various crops. It is charged with the responsibility of providing the technology which will be tested at the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) in Serere, Soroti and at the prisons farm in Mobuku, Kasese. Uganda has been targeting the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) with a bacterium gene for tolerance to Bollworm pests and the Roundup Ready (RR) cotton with resistance to the Roundup herbicide for the control of weeds. *------------------------------------------------------------* *GERMANY 6-GERMANY TO PERMIT TRIALS WITH GMO POTATO *by Thorsten Severin, Michael Hogan and Dave Graham 27-April-2009 Reuters BERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - Germany's Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said on Monday she will permit test cultivat ion of a potato containing genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). Open air trails of the GMO potato Amflora, developed by German chemicals group BASF presented no threat to public health or the environment, she said. Aigner had this month said she would carry out a new review of an application for open-air trial cultivation of Amflora, which was test-cultivated on 150 hectares in 2008. Earlier this month Aigner banned cultivation and sale of the GMO maize type MON 810 produced by U.S. seed giant Monsanto despite its approval by the European Union. There had been speculation that Aigner would stop the field trials of GMO potatoes. Aigner said on Monday she would only permit test plantings of Amflora of 20 hectares instead of 40 hectares sought and the plantings must have extra protective fencing. BASF warned last week a decision to stop trials could damage Germany as a location for scientific research. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said on Friday that many millions of euros had been invested in developing the Amflora potato in the hope that field trials could be made. "This fact cannot simply be ignored because currently sentiment is hostile," Merkel had said on Friday, calling for a calmer debate on GMO crops. Germany's GMO maize ban has been controversial inside Germany's ruling government coalition as there are fears it could damage scientific development in the country. Germany's Research Minister Annette Schavan on has called a round table meeting into the future of GMO crops. "We must take the fear of new technology seriously but the debate cannot be left to fear only," Schavan said earlier this month. Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, has also started legal action against the German ban, stressing the EU has approved it as safe for commercial cultivation and sale. *------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 7-'FARMING REVOLUTION' ON HORIZON AS SCIENTISTS SEQUENCE COW GENOME FOR FIRST TIME *29-April-2009 Daily Mail A cow's genome has been sequenced for the first time which could pave the way to a livestock revolution, say scientists. Experts believe understanding the genetic blueprint of domestic cows will have a major impact on livestock breeding and will help farmers boost milk production and create healthier herds. The cow genome also has important implications for human health because cattle and humans have about 80 per cent of their genes in common. The multimillion-pound project took more than 300 scientists from 25 countries six years to complete. The team unraveled 22,000 genes that make up the genetic code of a Hereford cow living on a research farm in Montana, U.S. The cow's DNA was then compared with cattle from six other breeds. This was used to analyse variations of almost 500 cows from 19 different regions. As in humans, the chromosomes of cows - packages of DNA that include the genes - were found to contain large duplicated regions. In humans, these 'segmental duplications' are associated with a range of problems including neurological disorders and birth defects. But in cows they were often beneficial, affecting genes related to immunity, metabolism, digestion, reproduction and milk production. Some of the chromosomal rearrangements are thought to explain the cow's unique ability to convert grass and other low-energy food sources into high-octane muscle, fat and milk. *'Diversity'* Dr Shirley Ellis from the Institute for Animal Health in Newbury, Berkshire, said: 'This important achievement provides a sound basis upon which to base future studies into the genetic diversity present in different cattle breeds and populations. 'It is crucial that we preserve this variation through appropriate breeding programmes in order to maintain healthy cattle populations both in the UK and worldwide that are best able to cope with climate change and emerging diseases.' Cows join the exclusive club of animals who have had their genome sequences including humans, rodents and other primates. Professor Douglas Kell, chief executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, which funded many of the UK scientists, said: 'There is a looming crisis in food production on the horizon. 'The inexorable growth in the global population and changing consumption patterns in the developing world mean that even before you include climate change we have to find ways to produce more food with fewer resources. 'We need to recognise that livestock play a key role in many people's diets. Research such as the cattle genome project underpins the delivery of sustainable and nutritious meat with the highest possible standards of animal welfare.' Genome sequencing of other livestock including sheep, pigs and goats is expected to follow. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *DISCLAIMER*: Articles that are posted in this news service do not necessarily reflect the views of SEARCA. To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org. To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here . [image: Subscribe A Friend] [image: Subscribe A Friend] *SEARCA invites participants to International Training on Responding to Changing Climate * *Putting a price on clean air and water* *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *Creating Public Awareness, Knowledge and Understanding of Biotech Crops: Media Conference and Social Marketing of Public Sector Biotech Products in Eastern Visayas* *Ormoc, Leyte 12 - 14 May 2009* *20th FCSSP Scientific Conference* *Siliman University, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, PHILIPPINES 18 - 23 May 2009* *2nd Annual Biofuels Summit* *Marina Mandarin, SINGAPORE 25 - 27 May 2009* *International Symposium on Second Green Revolution: Priorities, Programmes, Social and Ethical Issues (BIOSPECTRUM 2009)* *Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, INDIA 02 - 04 July 2009* *-------------------------------------------------------------* *CALL FOR APPLICATION Department of Agriculture, Philippines: Biotechnology Research Fellowship Program 8 Slots Available for Senior Scientist Research Grant and Research Fellowship Grant View details here. CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS Enabling Bio-innovations for Poverty Alleviation for Asia: 2009 Small Grants Competition Program of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)* *2009 iBoP SMALL GRANTS COMPETITION Open to Individual researchers and groups/institutions who are working on marginalized based of pyramid (BoP) sector issues and/or the development of S&T-related policies can apply for grants of up to 25,000 CAD (Canadian Dollars). Deadline of submission of applications is on 22 MAY 2009.* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: