From searcabic at gmail.com Sun Aug 2 14:50:58 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 14:50:58 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 02 August 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 02 August 2009* *PHILIPPINES** *1-ASFARNET PHILIPPINES UPHOLDS SUPPORT TO AGRI-BIOTECHNOLOGY 2-PHILIPPINE NAST AWARDS PREMIER BIOTECH PLANT BREEDERS 3-?NANOTECH CAN HELP RP ACHIEVE MDGS? 4-CONGRESS URGED TO REQUIRE GMO FOOD LABELING 5-EXPERT AGREES ANTI-GMO ORDINANCE NEEDS REVISION *JAPAN* 6-SMARTSTAX CORN RECEIVES JAPANESE IMPORT APPROVAL *UNITED STATES* 7-EXXON MOBIL INVESTS IN ALGAE BIOFUEL PROJECT *GLOBAL* 8-FARMERS CAN FEED THE WORLD *1-ASFARNET PHILIPPINES UPHOLDS SUPPORT TO AGRI-BIOTECHNOLOGY* By Jenny A. Panopio 24-July-2009 SEARCA BIC Press Release The Asian Farmer?s Network-Philippines (ASFARNET-Philippines) made a resounding statement supporting the employment of biotechnology tools for food, feed and fiber security. Members and officers of the network signed a declaration during their organizational meeting and biotechnological workshop held last July 22-23 at Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines. The declaration states that biotechnology offers solutions in alleviating agricultural production, and biotech crops and products have undergone extensive food, feed and environmental safety assessment prior to commercialization, thus are considered to be safe for consumption and cultivation. Farmer representatives from the three major islands of the country, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, shared their first-hand experiences in planting biotech corn in their own farms. All of them concurred on the positive impact that technology has provided and would like to share the benefits of the technology to the their co-farmers. ASFARNET-Philippines commits to continue and widen its involvement in agri-biotechnology advocacy and educational campaign to reduce the misconceptions and to enhance the adoption and utilization of biotech crops and products in the country. The group also urged the government and the public and private sectors to strengthen their efforts in building biotechnology awareness and provide science-based information in order to uphold ?farmers? choice? in the adoption of new farming technology. Conceived in 2003, ASFARNET-Philippines is composed of farmer-leaders and key stakeholders coming from 15 regions of the country. Most of the members of ASFARNET Philippines are adoptors of biotech corn since its first planting in 2003 and are actively involved in advocating the use of the technology. About100,000 small-scale Filipino farmers planted biotech corn in more than 350,000 hectares in 2008. To view the declaration, click on this link: http://www.bic.searca.org/docs/ASFARNET_Declaration.pdf For more information on the updates of agri-biotechnology in the Philippines, visit http://www.bic.searca.org or email bic at agri.searca.org *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-PHILIPPINE NAST AWARDS PREMIER BIOTECH PLANT BREEDERS* By Rochella B. Lapitan 17-July-2009 SEARCA BIC Press Release The Philippines? National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) recently culminated its 31st Annual Scientific Meeting with the conferment of new academicians and recognition of outstanding young scientists. Dr. Eufemio Rasco, Jr., a plant breeder and professor from the University of the Philippines Mindanao, was conferred as one of the new academicians of NAST for his pioneering contributions in breeding tropical white potato and his vast contribution in agribiotechnology education in the country. As a professor, Dr. Rasco spearheaded the development of a general education course on biotechnology, the first in the country, that is now adopted by four universities. Dr. Rasco?s collaborative research work with the private sector on biotech corn hybrids also led to the commercial approval and expansion of biotech corn market in the country. In addition, his book entitled, ?The Unfolding Gene Revolution?, published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study (SEARCA), was last year?s NAST Outstanding Book. On the other hand, a young breeder from the University of the Philippines Los Banos UPLB was also honored by NAST as one of the 2009 Outstanding Young Scientists (OYS) of the year. Dr. Antonio Lalusin was recognized for his significant work in abaca, sweet potato and cassava breeding. He has successfully blended modern biotechnology techniques with conventional plant breeding strategies using molecular marker assisted selection in screening and was able to develop high yielding and pest resistant varieties. NAST is a prestigious S&T award-giving and advisory body that annually provides recognition to scientific and technological achievements in the country. For more biotechnology updates in the Philippines, visit SEARCA BIC website at http://www.bic.searca.org or e-mail bic at agri.searca.org. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-?NANOTECH CAN HELP RP ACHIEVE MDGS?* by Rizal Raoul Reyes (Correspondent ) 26-July-2009 Business Mirror NANOTECHNOLOGY is one area where the Philippines must focus in order to develop its capabilities in several fields that could help the country achieve development, Dr. Fabian Dayrit, dean of the School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo de Manila University. ?As far as the Philippines is concerned, nanotechnology can be applied in niche areas and local needs so that it will be able to meet the objectives of the United Nations? Millennium Development Goals,? Dayrit said at the Scientific Meetings as part of last week?s celebration of the National Science and Technology Week. ?Health and environmental risks, biotechnology, materials science, and information and communications technology [ICT] are some of the possible applications of nanotechnology in the Philippines,? he added. Dayrit said current and potential applications of nanotechnology, such as environmental assessment and weather analysis, are already on a global scale. Contrary to popular perception, Dayrit said nanotechnology is not mere miniaturization. It also involves the exploitation of new phenomena which arise at the atomic and molecular levels. ?Nanotechnology is not completely new, and it?s already with us. Let us explore its practical applications. Nanotechnology is the new thing, just as micro during the earlier times,? he said. Dayrit said nanotechnology is vital because it is not a single technology; it may become pervasive. It also ?seeks to produce new materials with specific properties.? ?Nanotechnology may introduce new efficiencies and paradigms which may make some natural resources and current practices uncompetitive or obsolete,? Dayrit, a balik scientist, said. He added that it may be ?very difficult to detect its presence,? unless one has the special tools for nanotechnology. Wikipedia defines nanotechnology as the ?engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale.? One nanometer is one billionth, or 10 to the minus ninth power, of a meter. Nanotechnology, Wikipedia added, is very diverse, ranging from novel extensions of conventional device physics, to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, to developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, even to speculation on whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale. ?Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials and devices with wide-ranging applications, such as in medicine, electronics, and energy production,? it said. K. Eric Drexler popularized the term ?nanotechnology? in the 1980s. To make Filipinos more aware of the benefits of nanotechnology, Dayrit said there must be public-education campaigns on the technology, including its potential benefits, risks and its costs. To ensure it is a propeople science, Dayrit said it must consider the public interest and needs in the design and development of nanotechnology products. There must be an organization for the nanotechnology clearing house and oversight structure to monitor its programs, he said. ?We also need to establish a parallel R&D [research and development] efforts on the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology products, life-cycle assessments and social impacts. At the same time, the country must also develop its capabilities for quick assessment and response,? said Dayrit. In ICT, Dayrit said nanotechnology could help in developing processors and chips, which can have more functionality, speed and computing power. At the same time, he said it could also respond to the requirements for better integrability, portability and higher power efficiency. Dayrit said it is also useful in the development of materials for used on nonfossil fuel-based energy sources. In solar energy, nanotechnology can help develop nanoceramics on photovoltaic cells. Other applications are nanocatalysts for combustion, nanocomposites and hydrogen-fuel cells. For food and agriculture, Dayrit said nanotechnology could be useful for big corporate farms and small farms. Big farms, he said, could apply it in smart field systems, smart delivery systems in agriculture and food products, food packaging, nanosensors, and plant and animal breeding. ?It may be useful even to the small farmer as an aid for decision-making and resource conservation,? said Dayrit. In medicine, nanomedicine has the potential to enable early detection and prevention of illnesses, and to essentially improve diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of diseases. To develop nanotechnology in the country, Dayrit said the following measures must be implemented: ? Introduce nanotechnology in all science and engineering courses, and strengthen programs specifically for nanotechnology; ? Provide major universities with basic equipment to image and characterize nanostructures (the basic instrument, the atomic force microscope, is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy that costs $120,000 each); ? Encourage interdisciplinary interaction among science and engineering departments in nanotechnology; ? Upgrade National Metrology Institute for nanotechnology; ? Identify laboratories for nanoparticle measurements; ? Invest in new tools (high resolution TEM, XPS, SIMS); ? Accreditation of laboratories by international organizations; ? R&D in methodologies for nanotesting, including the development of certified materials or standards for use in calibration of equipment; ? Develop MSTQ infrastructure for nanotechnology. Dayrit said the importance of nanotechnology could no longer be ignored. In 2001 the US National Nanotechnology Initiative invested about $220 million for research and discovery. The budget for 2008 went up to $1.5 billion. Other countries which have invested for nanotechnology include the European Union (?1 billion in 2004), Japan ($800 million in 2003), South Korea ($2 billion for 10 years), Taiwan ($600 million for over six years) and China ($100 million in 2003). In 2008 Dayrit said the total worldwide investment in nanotechnology reached more than $10 billion. Besides Dayrit, the other scientists involved in nanotechnology research in the country are Dr. Blessie Basilia, Dr. Christina Binag, Dr. Carlo Mar Blanca, Dr. Erwin Enriquez, Dr. Antonio Laurena, Dr. Jim Josephus Minglana, Dr. Guillermo Nuesca, Dr. Milagros Peralta, Dr. Veronica Sabularse, Dr. Arnel Salvador, Dr. Roland Sarmago, Dr. Armando Somintac, Dr. Fortunato Sevilla, Ian Harvey Arellano, Michael Defensor, Christian Malapit, Ruby Janet Ortiz and Dindi Tisha Samsuya. *------------------------------------------------------------* *4-CONGRESS URGED TO REQUIRE GMO FOOD LABELING * by Nestor P. Burgos Jr. (Inquirer Visayas) 25-July-2009 Inquirer.net ILOILO CITY, Philippines ? Groups opposing the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are calling for the compulsory labeling of products containing GMOs as a guide to consumers. Lawyer Lilibeth Aruelo of The Third World Network Forum, an international network on environmental and developmental issue, said the manufacturers of products with GMOs should be required to indicate its contents in the product label. ?Consumers in the Philippines do not know if the products they are buying contain GMOs and they should be provided with this information so they can choose,? Aruelo said in a forum on genetic engineering held in Iloilo City Wednesday. A GMO is a plant, animal, or microorganism with its genetic code changed through biotechnology to give it characteristics that it does not have. GMOs have been used in agriculture, including the production of pest resistant and high-yielding crops and in medicines. While its proponents see GMO production as a leap in technology and production, various sectors oppose it because of its impact on environment and health. Aruelo called on legislators to amend the Consumers Act (Republic Act 7394) so it would include the mandatory labeling of products containing GMOs. She said measures like these were necessary in the absence of a law in the country regulating the production and the use of GMOs. The only regulation is contained in Department of Agriculture Order 8 issued in 2002, which regulates the importation of GMO products. Camilo Beltran, a Mexican scientist and research associate at the New Zealand-based Center for Integrated Research in Biosafety, said at the forum that there was an urgent need to raise public awareness on the impact of GMOs on the environment, health, agriculture, and food security. Beltran said the Philippines was one of 12 countries that have allowed entry of GMO products, including corn, potato, canola, sugar beet, soybean, cotton, and alfalfa. *------------------------------------------------------------* *5-EXPERT AGREES ANTI-GMO ORDINANCE NEEDS REVISION* by Ma. Ester L. Espina 24-July-2009 Manila Times BACOLOD CITY: With a sweeping ban against living and non-living genetically modified organisms in currently implemented in Negros Occidental, an invited scientist advocating against GMO produce admits the law passed in the province ?needs to be reworded? and should focus on the ultimate thrust of aiming to an organic bowl in the country. Dr. Camilo Beltran, a biochemist engineer who specializes in post-genomic sciences and a research associate at the Center for Integrated Research in Biosafety, University of Canterbury in New Zealand was the first resource speaker invited by the provincial council in a six-day en-banc marathon hearing in reviewing the Anti-GMO law that has earned so much criticism for its sweeping coverage. Ordinance 007 calls for the total banning of all living and non-living GMOs, which includes even pharmaceutical products, feeds and processed foods containing GMOs. In yesterday?s hearing, Beltran admitted that the ordinance is ?so broad? and while he maintains the province should be very firm on their stand to ban GMO products, ?you have to make a distinct definition? of what items should remain under the ban. Currently, Beltran said the Philippines has accepted 49 varieties of GMO products including corn, cotton, potato, canola, sugar beet and alfalfa, all of which ?has not gone through any scientific testing but only based on dossiers submitted by producers.? But nevertheless, he says, the ordinance must be reworded and made ?realistic? and should not totally ban but ?perhaps regulate? some GMO products particularly pharmaceutical products and those being used in research. When grilled by members of the council, Beltran admitted there is currently no established study showing absolute proof of the hazardous effects of GMO on human health but warned of ?potential risks.? But board member Melvin Iba?ez said in aid of legislation, ?concrete evidence? of its effects to human health is needed for the province to justify the ban. Board member Edgardo Acuna on the other hand said that based on Beltran?s presentation, ?the ordinance is pointless if Negros Oriental will not put a similar ban on the other side of the island.? While both provinces have a memorandum of agreement to make Negros Island an ?organic bowl,? there is no anti-GMO ordinance in the other province and in fact, there are reports of GMO corn plantations in Negros Oriental. Beltran agrees ?there must be a joint venture,? stating that organic and GMO can never co-exist. However, the livestock and poultry industry in Negros Occidental that captures a big chunk of the national market says the continued ban on GMO products, specifically corn and soybeans which are pure GMO and which they use as feeds, ?would lead to the collapse of our livestock industry.? While the debate continues, Acuna said the vision is remains noble, ?but there is a big question on availability? which ?even Beltran can?t answer. ?We need to fast-track this because we understand that there are businesses getting affected,? Acuna said, adding that the debate might get more heated when ?we get to the point of raising the question of choice.? *------------------------------------------------------------* *JAPAN 6-SMARTSTAX CORN RECEIVES JAPANESE IMPORT APPROVAL *31-July-2009 PRNewswire.com via Agbios INDIANAPOLIS and ST. LOUIS -- A key regulatory milestone has been reached for the 2010 commercial launch of SmartStax(TM), the corn industry's eagerly anticipated seed trait combination that will provide U.S. and Canadian corn farmers the most comprehensive weed and insect control and allow them to significantly reduce their structured refuge requirement. Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) and Dow AgroSciences LLC (NYSE: DOW), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, announced today that they have received full Japanese regulatory approval for importation of grain produced from SmartStax(TM). The food, feed and environmental safety of SmartStax corn were each reviewed and approved by the government agencies in Japan. These approvals follow U.S. and Canadian regulatory approvals announced by the companies on July 20. With these approvals, SmartStax can be produced and planted in the United States and Canada and grain can be imported to Australia, New Zealand and Japan. "The breakthrough of SmartStax is the field performance achieved by combining these already established and globally approved traits," said Jerry Hjelle, Monsanto Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. "Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences teams are working closely to obtain the few remaining import approvals ahead of the 2010 launch. "As the world's leading corn importing country, Japanese approval is a significant milestone to ensure full market access to food and feed derived from SmartStax that will help U.S. and Canadian corn farmers to experience the benefits of the agriculture industry's most advanced, all-in-one corn trait platform, " Hjelle added. "Farmers who plant SmartStax will be better able to meet the growing global demand for grain through the increased whole-farm corn yield advantage SmartStax provides." According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agriculture Service, Japan imports represent 20 percent of the world's corn exports for the 2009 marketing year, or 640 million bushels. "These timely Japanese approvals are important; Japan is a valued importer of U.S. and Canadian corn, and SmartStax adds to our effort to provide a sustainable supply of high-quality corn to the Japanese market," said Brad Shurdut, Global Biotech Regulatory and Government Affairs Leader for Dow AgroSciences. "SmartStax, developed by Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto, provides potential increases in corn yield and supply and will help support the increased consumption and utilization of corn around the world in the 2010 U.S. season." Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto are members of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and its affiliate Excellence Through Stewardship(R) (ETS). SmartStax will be commercialized consistent with the BIO Product Launch Stewardship Policy after meeting applicable regulatory requirements in key export markets with functioning agricultural biotechnology regulatory systems. SmartStax is the result of best-in-class trait integration that combines each company's industry-leading corn traits to provide growers the broadest spectrum of above- and below-ground protection against pests and weeds versus any competitor in the market today. The multiple modes of action in SmartStax are the only proven means to reduce structured refuge and maintain long-term durability of corn trait technologies. U.S. and Canadian corn farmers who plant SmartStax will be able to substantially reduce the typical structured refuge from 20 percent to 5 percent in Canada and the Corn Belt and from 50 percent to 20 percent in the U.S. Cotton Belt. By combining a comprehensive approach for insect and weed control with reduced above- and below-ground structured refuge, farmers who adopt SmartStax will have the opportunity to increase whole-farm corn yields 5 to 10 percent. SmartStax is the outcome of a cross-licensing agreement and research and development collaboration signed in 2007 between Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences. Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences plan to launch SmartStax on 3 to 4 million-plus acres in 2010. Monsanto will bring the corn product to market as Genuity(TM) SmartStax(TM). Dow AgroSciences plans to offer SmartStax through its seed brands which include Mycogen, Dairyland, Renze, Brodbeck, and Triumph. *About SmartStax * SmartStax combines the industry's leading above- and below-ground insect protection and herbicide tolerant traits for the most yield protection available to growers: Above-ground insect control for protection against corn earworm, European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, sugar cane borer, fall armyworm, western bean cutworm and black cutworm: with Dow AgroSciences' HERCULEX(R) I Insect Protection technology and Monsanto's YieldGard(R) VT PRO(TM), a second-generation, two-gene lepidopteran control product contained in Genuity(TM) VT Triple PRO(TM). Below-ground insect control for protection against Western, Northern and Mexican corn rootworms combining Monsanto's YieldGard VT Rootworm/RR2 technology with Dow AgroSciences' HERCULEX(R) RW Insect Protection technology. Broad spectrum weed and grass control bringing together Monsanto's Roundup Ready(R) 2 technology with Bayer CropScience's Liberty Link(R) herbicide tolerance. *------------------------------------------------------------* *UNITED STATES 7-EXXON MOBIL INVESTS IN ALGAE BIOFUEL PROJECT *16-July-2009 Manila Times WASHINGTON, D.C.: Oil giant Exxon?Mobil announced an alliance Tuesday with biotech firm Synthetic Genomics to make a new biofuel from photosynthetic algae. The biggest US energy firm said it was partnering with the firm headed by Craig Venter, a researcher who founded Human Genome Sciences and Celera Genomics and has worked on projects to sequence the genomes of humans, fruit flies and other organisms. ExxonMobil said it expects to spend more than $600 million if certain milestones are reached to produce the fuel, which does not contribute to greenhouse emissions. ?This investment comes after several years of planning and study and is an important addition to ExxonMobil?s ongoing efforts to advance breakthrough technologies to help meet the world?s energy challenges,? said Emil Jacobs, vice president at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering. ?While significant work and years of research and development still must be completed, if successful, algae-based fuels could help meet the world?s growing demand for transportation fuel while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,? said Michael Dolan, senior vice president of ExxonMobil. ?Our new algae biofuels program complements Exxon?Mobil?s ongoing efforts to reduce emissions in our operations and by consumers of our products, through both efficiency improvements and technology breakthroughs.? Last month, Dow Chemical announced plans to join Algenol Biofuels in a pilot-scale project to use algae and carbon dioxide to produce ethanol fuel. -- *AFP* *------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 8-FARMERS CAN FEED THE WORLD *by Norman E. Borlaug 3 0-July-2009 The Wall Street Journal Better seeds and fertilizers, not romantic myths, will let them do it. Earlier this month in L?Aquila, Italy, a small town recently devastated by an earthquake, leaders of the G-8 countries pledged $20 billion over three years for farm-investment aid that will help resource-poor farmers get access to tools like better seed and fertilizer and help poor nations feed themselves.For those of us who have spent our lives working in agriculture, focusing on growing food versus giving it away is a giant step forward. Given the right tools, farmers have shown an uncanny ability to feed themselves and others, and to ignite the economic engine that will reverse the cycle of chronic poverty. And the escape from poverty offers a chance for greater political stability in their countries as well. But just as the ground shifted beneath the Italian community of L?Aquila, so too has the political landscape heaved in other parts of the world, casting unfounded doubts on agricultural tools for farmers made through modern science, such as biotech corn in parts of Europe. Even here at home, some elements of popular culture romanticize older, inefficient production methods and shun fertilizers and pesticides, arguing that the U.S. should revert to producing only local organic food. People should be able to purchase organic food if they have the will and financial means to do so, but not at the expense of the world?s hungry?25,000 of whom die each day from malnutrition. Unfortunately, these distractions keep us from the main goal. Consider that current agricultural productivity took 10,000 years to attain the production of roughly six billion gross tons of food per year. Today, nearly seven billion people consume that stockpile almost in its entirety every year. Factor in growing prosperity and nearly three billion new mouths by 2050, and you quickly see how the crudest calculations suggest that within the next four decades the world?s farmers will have to double production. They most likely will need to accomplish this feat on a shrinking land base and in the face of environmental demands caused by climate change. Indeed, this month Oxfam released a study concluding that the multiple effects of climate change might ?reverse 50 years of work to end poverty? resulting in ?the defining human tragedy of this century.? At this time of critical need, the epicenter of our collective work should focus on driving continued investments from both the public and private sectors in efficient agriculture production technologies. Investments like those announced by the G-8 leaders will most likely help to place current tools?like fertilizer and hybrid seeds that have been used for decades in the developed world?into the hands of small-holder farmers in remote places like Africa with the potential for noted and measured impact. That investment will not continue to motivate new and novel discoveries, like drought-tolerant, insect-resistant or higher-yielding seed varieties that advance even faster. To accomplish this, governments must make their decisions about access to new technologies, such as the development of genetically modified organisms?on the basis of science, and not to further political agendas. Open markets will stimulate continued investment, innovation and new developments from public research institutions, private companies and novel public/private partnerships. We already can see the ongoing value of these investments simply by acknowledging the double-digit productivity gains made in corn and soybeans in much of the developed world. In the U.S., corn productivity has grown more than 40% and soybeans by nearly 30% from 1987 to 2007, while wheat has lagged behind, increasing by only 19% during the same period. Lack of significant investment in rice and wheat, two of the most important staple crops needed to feed our growing world, is unfortunate and short-sighted. It has kept productivity in these two staple crops at relatively the same levels seen at the end of the 1960s and the close of the Green Revolution, which helped turn Mexico and India from starving net grain importers to exporters. Here, too, the ground seems to be slowly shifting in the right direction, as recent private investments in wheat and public/private partnerships in maize for Africa re-enter the marketplace. These investments and collaborations are critical in our quest to realize much needed productivity gains in rice and wheat to benefit farmers around the world?and, ultimately, those of us who rely on them to produce our daily food. Of history, one thing is certain: Civilization as we know it could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply. Likewise, the civilization that our children, grandchildren and future generations come to know will not evolve without accelerating the pace of investment and innovation in agriculture production. *Mr. Borlaug, a professor at Texas A&M University, won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to the world food supply. * -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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] *Philippine New SEARCA Scholars Association Officers Inducted * *SEARCA Awards Scholarships to 12 Southeast Asians* *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2009)* *Bangkok, Thailand 22 - 25 September 2009* *International Conference on Knowledge Management in Agribiotechnology: The Asian Experience* *Bangkok, Thailand 01-02 October 2009* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Mon Aug 24 13:32:02 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:32:02 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 24 August 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 24 August 2009* *PHILIPPINES* 1-ASIAN FARMERS SPEAK, BACK GMOs 2-DEVELOPING BIOTECHNOLOGY-BASED INDUSTRY PUSHED 3-10 STATE COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES TO OFFER BIOTECHNOLOGY COURSES 4-RP GOES BIOTECH TO BOOST COFFEE OUTPUT 5-NEGROS ORIENTAL AGRI OFFICE SUPPORTS SELECTIVE BAN OF GMOs *EGYPT* 6-EGYPT DENIES REPORT OF BANNING GM IMPORTS: STATE AGENCY *SOUTH AFRICA* 7-GOVERNMENT OKs GENETICALLY MODIFIED VINES *GLOBAL* 8-HUMAN GENOME SEQUENCED FOR THE PRICE OF A CAR *1-ASIAN FARMERS SPEAK, BACK GMOs* by Rochella B. Lapitan 24-August-2009 SEARCA BIC News Release Farmers from Asia speak for the growing 13 million farmers planting biotech crops worldwide on how modern biotechnology transformed their lives and helped them become better stewards of their farm lands. Recently, biotech farmers from eight Asian countries gathered in the Philippines through the Pan-Asia Farmers Exchange 2009 organized by the CropLife Asia, a regional unit of CropLife International representing the plant science industry. The farmers were briefed by agri-biotech experts on the advantage of using genetically modified crops in beating global challenges in food, feed, fuel and fiber security. ?Farmers are the biggest beneficiaries of the Bt and GM technologies?, said Dr. Saturnina Halos, Chairperson for the Biotechnology Advisory Team of the Department of Agriculture (BAT-DA) . The farmers exchange program was culminated with visits to biotech corn farms in the highlands of Quirino province. ?I will relay to my fellow farmers what is good and bad about GM crops because GM is very important to humanity?, said Supat Cherdsang, a farmer leader from Thailand. Likewise, in a biotech workshop of Asian Farmers Regional Network (ASFARNET) ? Philippines , Rosalie Ellasus, a corn farmer from Pangasinan, shared how she maximizes yields through biotechnology using Bt corn. ?With 3.5-metric ton (MT) yields from conventional corn in 2003, now I am harvesting 7.3 MT with Bt corn. I am also planting stack-trait corn that yields 9.2 MT?, said Rosalie, an acclaimed Ambassadress of Biotechnology in Asia. On the other hand, Delson Sonza revealed how the barren hilly lands of Sara, Iloilo were transformed into productive biotech corn fields. ?Biotechnology uplifted the lives of Ilonggos by using glyphosate-tolerant corn and applying zero tillage technology in corn farming?, said Delson. Edwin Paraluman, who gained 8 MT of Bt corn yields from his farm in General Santos City, recommended that, ?Government should not only allocate subsidy in seeds, but also in fertilizers, for the farmers are spending much from this farm input?. As support to biotechnology, the farmers signed a declaration stating that biotechnology offers solutions in alleviating agricultural problems and enhances sustainable agriculture. The declaration can be viewed at http://www.bic.searca.org/docs/ASFARNET_Declaration.pdf. ------------------------------------------------------------ *2-DEVELOPING BIOTECHNOLOGY-BASED INDUSTRY PUSHED * by Butch Fernandez / Reporter 20-August-2009 Business Mirror CONGRESS was asked to set an appropriate policy environment to fast-track promotion of biotechnology industry development in the Philippines. ?Biodiversity is one of our greatest resources [but it] remains untapped. While we continue to train scientists, lack of local employment leads them either to other occupations or to foreign shores,? Sen. Edgardo Angara said recently. This, even as the last decades of the 20th century ?saw rapid advances in our knowledge of life and its mechanisms that have given rise to a new set of practical tools and techniques collectively referred to as biotechnology,? Angara, who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, added. ?With this generation hailed as the biotech century and concerns about climate change, nonrenewable-energy sources, dwindling freshwater supply, increasing population and environmental protection on one hand, and new discoveries in biology on the other, these factors are expected to greatly increase the number of technologies developed based on biological systems,? he said. Angara pointed out that despite the government?s efforts in biotechnology, such as the establishment of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os, the Department of Science and Technology?s priority investment in science parks for business incubation, and the Department of Agriculture?s research centers, these investments have not sufficiently fostered the growth of a biotech industry. He noted that the US, Canada, Australia and several EU countries, as well as Singapore, Malaysia, China, India and Taiwan, have put in place a policy environment that encourages bio-industry development. These policies, he pointed out, include support for high-quality research, rapid research results for marketable products/services, support for start-up companies, and other incentives for industry to develop/adopt new technologies. The senator added that large and competitive grants are also provided for high-quality research work in research institutions, as well as huge grants for industry-public collaborations to fast-track technology development, and guarantee funds for venture-capital investing in biotechnology. ?In the Philippines, we lack appropriate policy environment to promote bio-industry development. Many policies encourage individual rather than multidisciplinary achievements, while biotechnology requires a multidisciplinary approach and government funds for research cannot be committed for terms longer than one year, yet technology and product development may take years,? he said. Angara explained that under Senate Bill 3140, the private sector is given incentives to invest in biotechnology research and development (R&D) by allowing the total R&D cost and prices of shares of stock in biotech companies as tax-deductible, and majority of the government?s investments in biotechnology R&D is awarded through a government corporation to lessen the burden of an unwieldy accounting and auditing system. ?This proposed legislation will address the weaknesses of our system and will enable the country to develop a biotechnology-based industry,? Angara asserted. ------------------------------------------------------------ *3-10 STATE COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES TO OFFER BIOTECHNOLOGY COURSES* by Helen Flores 20-August-2009 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - Sixteen state colleges and universities nationwide will soon include biotechnology in their existing curriculum in a bid to popularize the subject and eventually help the country benefit from the relatively new field. The University of the Philippines? National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and the Commission on Higher Education, has developed the program instituting a General Education (GE) Biotechnology Course in the curriculum of selected state colleges and Universities (SCUs) Dr. Cynthia Hedreyda, NIMBB director, said that while there is limitless information on biotechnology, there is not enough popular awareness of the subject. Biotechnology is defined as ?the use of living organisms, especially microorganisms, in industrial, agricultural, medical and other technological applications.? She said biotechnology education in the country is disseminated primarily through workshops and symposia conducted by scientists, people from the academe, government agencies like the DA and the Department of Science and Technology. ?These attempts, are, however, not sufficient to make knowledge of benefits derived from products of the new technology, particularly the agricultural products of modern biotechnology, widespread,? she said. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the introduction of the biotechnology course is ?one of the many initiatives that we are undertaking to vigorously promote the safe and responsible use of biotechnology is its inclusion in the college curriculum, initially in 16 selected state colleges and universities. He said, ?Our aim is to equip Filipino teachers, students and other interested individuals with the basic knowledge, and enable them to make informed decisions on biotechnology products and latest breakthroughs and developments, and related issues on human health and the environment, and ethical concerns.? ?Further, through this initiative we hope to encourage more Filipino youth to pursue a career in the field of biotechnology, either as researchers and scientists or entrepreneurs,? he added. The Cavite State University and University of Southern Mindanao have begun offering three units of the biotechnology course to their students. Segfredo Serrano, DA undersecretary for policy and planning, said the integration of the biotechnology course in the college curriculum ?will help transform biotechnology education into something we can benefit more from.? Biotechnology courses cover a variety of topics from the history of traditional and modern biotechnology, the use of biotechnology for health, environment and industry, legal battles, and ethical issues. ------------------------------------------------------------ *4-RP GOES BIOTECH TO BOOST COFFEE OUTPUT* by Riza T. Olchondra 16-August-2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINES IS FORGING BIOTECHnology partnerships with some of the world?s top five coffee producers to boost output and trim its P3-billion annual import bill. Domestic demand for coffee stands at 65,000 metric tons (MT), but production reaches only 30,000 MT. The difference is imported mainly from Vietnam. Vietnam is second only to top producer Brazil in terms of volume and quality. Colombia, Indonesia and India round up the top five, according to the Philippine Coffee Board. ?Right now, the Philippines is ranked number 17 or 18. But in time, we can improve and become an exporter again,? PCB chair Pacita Juan said in an interview. PCB has forged a biotechnology agreement in July with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Brazil?s Instituto Agronomico de Campinas of the State of Sao Paulo. ?The agreement with Brazil is to exchange germplasm, or planting materials such as seeds. We are also looking at Vietnam, which has so-called new age hybrids, and Indonesia,? she said. ?Their (Vietnam?s) strains can help us because they can harvest up to 3 million tons per hectare. We harvest only 700 kilos per hectare,? Juan said. Dr. Rene Rafael C. Espino, Ginintuang Masaganang Ani-HVCC national program coordinator, said that the Philippines needs 40 million seeds in order to have excess coffee to export. ?We are going to need 40,000 hectares of coffee, with 1,000 seeds planted per hectare,? he said. Espino said the DA was also setting aside P150 million for a sufficiency road map to be drafted and implemented by the PCB. About P50 million was budgeted for this year, with another P100 million to be released for tree planting and farm rehabilitation programs. Besides encouraging production, the government also forged a partnership with Nestl? to make sure that farmers can sell their crops and be encouraged to keep tending their coffee trees. ?Our goal is to work together to encourage the farming of coffee so that the Philippines becomes self-sufficient in coffee in 5 to 7 years, and then afterwards, becomes a net exporter in coffee,? Nestl? chair and CEO Nandu Nandkishore said. The Philippines? coffee industry was self-sufficient until 1998, with producers even able to export to such countries as the United States, Japan and Korea. In 1999, however, market price for coffee fell steeply due to overproduction in Vietnam. Coffee producers in the Philippines began abandoning the crop and the country has since become a net importer. ------------------------------------------------------------ *5-NEGROS ORIENTAL AGRI OFFICE SUPPORTS SELECTIVE BAN OF GMOs* 14-August-2009 Philippine Information Agency Dumaguete City (14 August) -- Due to the growing demand for food supply, Provincial Agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca said he supports moves to regulate the entry of genetically modified organisms in the province rather than its total ban. In a recent forum here, Mexican scientist Dr. Camilo Beltran of the Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety discussed the possible threats of GMO to human health and the environment. However, he said that there are currently no scientific studies proving the GMO's negative and harmful effects. Paltinca said in 2006 they tested planting the Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) variety of corn in one of the demonstration farms in Sitio Bundo, Barangay Salngan in Siaton town. They tried planting BT corn because they wanted to prove if it can fight against pests like the corn borer. Paltinca confirmed that BT corn can actually fight off the corn borer, especially during off-season for corn production. He explained that high yield variety of agricultural crops is one of the target goals of the farmers considering the decreasing agricultural production areas in the province. But, it doesn't have to be GMO-enhanced varieties because there are other types that can be propagated, he added. Negros Oriental has a total land area of 54,000 hectares potential for corn production while only 20,000 hectares for rice. At present, the province is only 70 percent sufficient in corn and 61 percent in rice based on the latest harvest data of the Provincial Agriculture Office. (PIA) ------------------------------------------------------------ *EGYPT 6-EGYPT DENIES REPORT OF BANNING GM IMPORTS: STATE AGENCY* b y AFP 14-August-2009 The Daily News Egypt CAIRO: Egypt's state news agency MENA on Thursday quoted an agriculture ministry official as denying an earlier report that Cairo had banned the import and export of genetically modified crops. The unnamed official was quoted as saying "reports published by some newspapers and foreign press agencies ? are not true." On Wednesday, MENA reported that Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza had given instructions that all crop imports to the country, especially wheat, corn and soya bean shipments, must be certified free of GM products. Egypt is the most populous Arab country and one of the world's largest wheat importers. Last year, Cairo approved the cultivation of genetically modified corn. ?AFP ------------------------------------------------------------ *SOUTH AFRICA 7-GOVERNMENT OKs GENETICALLY MODIFIED VINES *by Melanie Gosling (Environment Writer) 12-August-2009 Independent Online The government has given researchers the nod to grow genetically modified (GM) grapevines in field trials at Stellenbosch University. The researchers are developing a grapevine that will be genetically modified to resist fungal disease. If successful, the vine will mean less use of pesticides on vineyards. Three environmental lobby groups, SafeAge, Earthlife Africa and the African Centre for Biosafety, will appeal to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry against the approval. SafeAge co-ordinator Charmaine Anderson said yesterday they were shocked to learn of the approval after there had been strong opposition to the field trials of the GM grapevine. Especially from wine farmers who export to the EU, and there were even objections from overseas,? she said. She said the GM application to the department had been made in 2006 for open-air field trials of GM sultana and chardonnay grapevine varieties. Asked to comment on the GM grapevine, Villeria wine-maker Jeff Grier said although he was not against developing new technology, and accepted that a fungal-resistant grapevine theoretically would be beneficial, Villiera would not use any GM crops. ------------------------------------------------------------ *GLOBAL 8-HUMAN GENOME SEQUENCED FOR THE PRICE OF A CAR *11-August-2009 Manila Bulletin PARIS, August 11, 2009 (AFP) - Sequencing the first human genome cost billions and required an army of scientists, but now a trio of researchers in the United States have matched that feat for the price mid-range BMW, according to a study published Monday. "This can be done in one lab, with one machine, and at a modest cost" of about $50,000 (36,000 euros), said Stanford University professor Stephen Quake, who designed the study and lent his DNA for the task. At the close of the 20th century, piecing together a complete map of a genome -- the blueprint of human life itself spread across three-billion pairs of molecules -- was the all-consuming Manhattan Project of biotechnology. The achievement, unveiled in draft form in 2001 and finished in 2003, was hailed as one of humanity's major scientific achievements. Since then, sequencing "has become an order of magnitude cheaper and faster" every couple of years, said Lynda China, a medical researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. In 2007, the firm 454 Life Sciences did it in under three months and for less than a million dollars. In September that year, scientific maverick Craig Venter published his own complete DNA code, the first of a single individual rather than an amalgam from multiple sources. Cost: not disclosed. Last year, the price dropped to a quarter of a million, but still needed the input of dozens of experts. The new breakthrough, reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology, has become the latest benchmark. Even if only a dozen or so individual genomes have been sequenced to date, the process is on the verge of becoming commonplace and could, within a few years, cost even ten times less. One biotech start-up, Pacific Biosciences in Menlo Park, vows that by 2013 it will be able to unpack a complete DNA in a quarter of an hour for under a thousand dollars. A legion of potential applications are driving the research, ranging from "personalised medicine" tailored to your genetic profile, to exploring the earliest dawn of human evolution in the DNA of our ancestors' fossils. Quake discovered, for example, that he carries a rare genetic mutation associated with a heart disorder. He also learned that he is likely to respond well to cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that could help prevent heart disease. Complete sequencing is not to be confused with the gene kits offered by companies such as 23andMe or deCODEme, which offer only snapshots of DNA, not the whole shebang. "It's really democratising the fruits of the genome revolution and saying that anybody can play in this game," Quake said in a statement. Using a single fridge-sized machine and a process called single molecule sequencing, Quake and his colleagues diced up the more than three billion molecular pairings of the human DNA into millions of strands. The four molecular building blocks of DNA are adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). The machine read each strand with the help of florescent markers, and then its powerful computers reassembled them back into a cohesive genome. "It's like assembling an enormous jigsaw puzzle by referring frequently to the picture on the box," Quake said, alluding to the reference genome held by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information. Overall, Quake's genome is 95 percent complete, on a par with earlier efforts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 and CHED beef up research productivity of Philippine higher education institutions * *Are carabaos headed for the dental chair?* *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2009)* *Bangkok, Thailand 22 - 25 September 2009* *Measures of Hope and Promises Delivered: An International Conference on Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact Assessment of Biotech Crops* *Bangkok, Thailand 29 - 30 September 2009* *International Conference on Knowledge Management in Agribiotechnology: The Asian Experience* *Bangkok, Thailand 01-02 October 2009* ** ** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Fri Aug 28 19:47:05 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:47:05 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] ANNOUNCEMENT: Int'l confab highlighting KM in agri-biotechnology, slated in October 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. *Posted 29 August 2009* *INT'L CONFAB HIGHLIGHTING KM IN AGRI-BIOTECHNOLOGY, SLATED IN OCTOBER* * **by Rochella B. Lapitan 29-August-2009 SEARCA BIC Press Release * An international conference with the aim to initiate an integrated regional knowledge management (KM)-based sharing of research, experiences and lessons on KM interventions in agricultural biotechnology will take off in Thailand this October. Dubbed *International Conference on Knowledge Management in Agricultural Biotechnology: The Asian Experience (KM in Agri-biotech)*, the conference is organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) together with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS), Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSP II), Center for Agricultural Biotechnology (CAB) and the Biotechnology and Biosafety Information Centerof the Kasetsart University. It will convene policy makers, technology and R&D managers, scientists, knowledge managers and officers, and development planners with initiatives on agricultural biotechnology at the Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand on 1 ? 2 October 2009. The KM in Agri-biotech conference hopes to provide an avenue for key actors in biotechnology to: 1) share experiences and lessons on advocacy, dissemination, capacity building, and networking on agricultural biotechnology, as well as its application/adoption, thereby reflecting on its relevant KM schemes and frameworks in Asia; 2) get updated on KM models and practices applicable to the contemporary issues and challenges facing agriculture R&D and agri-based industries; and 3) discuss KM arrangements and identify priority and collaborative KM initiatives in agri-biotech for Asia. The conference will feature distinctive speakers with diverse perspectives on thematic plenary sessions in KM and agricultural biotechnology, KM platforms for agri-biotech regulatory policy, capacity building, and KM networking. Small groups will discuss the relevant components of a regional collaboration on KM in agricultural biotechnology and recommend policy directions after the plenary sessions. The KM in Agri-biotech conference will be held back-to-back with the International Conference on Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact Assessment of Biotech Crops also organized by SEARCA with ISAAA, ABSPII, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Monsanto Singapore, Pte. Ltd., and Thailand Development Research Institute, which will kick-off at the same venue from 29 ? 30 September 2009. To learn more about the conference, please visit its website at http://www.bic.searca.org/kminagbiotech/. For inquiries, please contact: *Dr. Maria Celeste H. Cadiz* Manager, Knowledge Management Department SEARCA, College, Laguna, PHILIPPINES Telephone: (63-49) 536-2554, local 173/125 Fax: (63-49) 536-2283 E-mail: mchc at agri.searca.org or *Ms. Jenny A. Panopio* Special Project Coordinator and BIC Network Administrator SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center Telephone: (63-49) 536-2290, local 406/169 Fax: (63-49) 536-4105 E-mail: jap at agri.searca.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org. To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Sun Aug 30 16:29:59 2009 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:29:59 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] ANNOUNCEMENTS: SEARCA's back-to-back intl conference in biotechnology, Job Opening, and New Publications 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. Dear Friends and Colleagues, We are pleased to announce the following: *SEARCA's back-to-back international conferences in biotechnology **Measures of Hope and Promises Delivered: An International Conference on Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact Assessment of Biotech Crops* Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand** 29 - 30 September 2009 Download conference brochure View conference details at http://www.searca.org/web/conferences/2009/biotech_crops/ *International Conference on Knowledge Management in Agricultural Biotechnology: The Asian Experience* Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand** 01 - 02 October 2009 Download conference brochure View conference details at http://www.bic.searca.org/kminagbiotech/ ***Job Opportunity @ SEARCA* The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture announces its search for: *Deputy Director for Administration* Application is open until a suitable candidate is found*.* For details and application procedure, click here. *New Publications **BioLife Magazine * No.1, 2009 Issue Published by BMARC Download / View copy here *ISAAA Brief 40: Communicating Crop Biotechnology: Stories from Stakeholders * Published by ISAAA View details here *SEARCA Diary * Volume 38, No. 1, March 2009 Published by SEARCA Download / View copy here For more events and announcements, visit SEARCA BIC website at http://www.bic.searca.org. Best regards, E-group Moderator SEARCA BIC -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: