From searcabic at gmail.com Mon Jan 4 17:28:48 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2010 17:28:48 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] ANNOUNCEMENTS: Upcoming Seminars, Call for Papers and New Publication 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: *UPCOMING SEMINARS: **05 JANUARY 2010 (TUESDAY) 2:30 - 4:00 PM* *CHEMICAL KINETICS AND SWITCHING BEHAVIOUR OF BIOLOGICAL NETWORKS* *Speaker: Dr. Baltazar Aguda* Visiting Professor, Ohio State University Rm A-102, Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines Los Ba?os, Los Ba?os, Laguna, Philippines *Organized by: UPLB Institute of Chemistry Kapisanan ng Kimika ng Pilipinas Southern Tagalog Chapter * *06 JANUARY 2010 (WEDNESDAY) 2:30 - 4:00 PM* *COMBINATORIAL MicroRNA REGULATION OF A CANCER NETWORK* *Speaker: Dr. Baltazar Aguda* Visiting Professor, Ohio State University BIOTECH Seminar Room, University of the Philippines Los Ba?os, Los Ba?os, Laguna, Philippines *Organized by: UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH) *** *12 JANUARY 2010 (TUESDAY) 4 :00 - 5:00 PM* *SEARCA ADSS: LEGAL FRAMEWORK ON WILDLIFE PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION* *Speaker: Ms. Josefina De Leon* Officer-in-Charge, Wildlife Division, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Drilon Hall, SEARCA, College, Laguna, Philippines *Organized by: SEARCA * *CALL FOR PAPERS:* *MARCH 2010* *8th PCIERD REGIONAL AND NATIONAL S&T FORA ON COMPETITIONS IN INDUSTRY AND ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT* *Deadline of submission of papers is on 15 January 2009 * *Organized by: Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD) * *Download / View details here: Call for Papers * *NEW PUBLICATION:* *BIOLIFE MAGAZINE 2009 No. 2 Issue* How Safe is Biotechnology? *Download latest issue here: http://www.bic.searca.org/bmarc/biolife_sep_dec09.pdf* Best regards, E-group Moderator SEARCA BIC -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Tue Jan 12 18:47:55 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:47:55 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 12 January 2010 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 12 January 2010* *PHILIPPINES* 1-RP NEEDS STRONG ANIMAL BIOTECH PROGRAM 2-NEW HOPE EMERGES FOR LOCAL COTTON INDUSTRY 3-DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-YIELDING C4 RICE EYED 4-GOV?T UPGRADES MOLECULAR TESTING FACILITY 5-FIBER BODY EYES MASS PROPAGATION OF NEWLY DEVELOPED ABACA VARIETY *INDIA* 6-Bt BRINJAL: JAIRAM RAMESH TO HOLD MEETINGS *GLOBAL* 7-FARMERS LOOK TO BIOTECHNOLOGY TO BATTLE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES *1-RP NEEDS STRONG ANIMAL BIOTECH PROGRAM* by Anjo C. Alimario / Researcher 04-January-2010 Business Mirror AN ?informed opinion? among biotechnology stakeholders is the key element in an effective advocacy and promotion of the potentials of animal biotechnology. This was the message imparted by the experts from the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) of the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology and other partner institutions in relaying to the public the importance of the technology in answering the demand for food production. Experts from the forum said animal biotechnology does not necessarily mean genetically modified organisms (GMO), to which people always feel skeptical and carry negative connotations when they hear the term. However, biotechnology is one potential technology that can address the needs of the country?s agricultural-production systems, they said. According to the forum?s rationale, there have been significant milestones and breakthroughs achieved through biotechnology, but these are always overshadowed by the people?s misconceptions on its alleged possible negative effects to health and environment. It said that some ?less-informed? groups use the issues in the core of their advocacies to influence public opinion against biotechnology and its products. ?Elitist scientists apply terms in biotechnology such as frontier, cutting-edge, strategic and lately blue-sky science, but unless these are translated to layman?s language, biotechnology will remain to be abstract to Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquaio or a dreaded field to pursue for young students, or maybe as dreadful as visiting Maguindanao,? said Dr. Edwin Villar, head of the livestock-research division of PCARRD. There are a number of issues why there is a need for the country to invest in livestock technology, Dr. Libertado Cruz, PCC executive director, said. One is the growing population of the world, he said. Sixty percent of the world?s population belongs to Asia, Cruz said. Because of the continuous increase in population, the world must produce food in the next 40 to 80 years equivalent to what has been produced in the past 12,000 years, he explained. Moreover, it becomes a global challenge on how to feed these people, and the world?s capacity to produce food is at stake, he pointed out. What comes with the growth in population is an increase in people?s income and purchasing power, Cruz said. People who have the capacity to buy change their food preference. They consume less of the grains and more of the animal-derived protein, he added. Cruz argued that traditional genetic improvement and management of livestock productivity is substantially significant, but with the challenge of growing population and increase in the demand of animal products, there is a need to use other technology than the traditional method, he said. Biotechnology in livestock has contributed in terms of improving feed-grain production and forage quality, enhancing genetic improvement of economically important traits, enhancing animals and their performance and preserving biodiversity, Cruz explained. Livestock biotechniques are directed primarily on genetic improvement and genetic conservation, he said. Other parts of livestock biotechniques are those applied to animal and animal nutrition and to produce novel products for human use. In his presentation, Cruz pointed out that biotechnology is almost equated with GMO implants, and people do not want to take anything related to biotechnology, particularly in food. Rejection is less when it is for human pharmaceuticals. ?The mindset of the consuming public when it relates to food has less acceptability, but when it is for human pharmaceuticals, it is okay,? he said. He said it is impossible for the country to do away with artificial insemination (AI). AI is one of the most common and oldest biotechnologies used in the world that maximizes the utility of superior sire, he added. On the status of some of the animal biotechnologies in the Philippines, Cruz said the country is commercially using AI in bovine, cattle, carabao, small ruminants and swine. Substantial research and development have been completed to understand AI as a technique. Sperm sexing?a biotechnique that can help producers of dairy, swine and beef animals to predetermine the sex of the offspring?has not been tried yet in the Philippines due to lack of funds, Cruz added. The country, according to him, is just waiting for the money to be able to try out the technique. Superovulation technique in cattle and goat, a biotechnique that expands the utilization of superior females in dairy, beef, goat and sheep, is now well-established in the country, he added. However, there is poor response to superovulatory hormone in buffalo. Cruz recommended the tapping of PCARRD to increase human-resource capacitation and improve the existing facilities and laboratory equipment. Moreover, he said it is not the technology that is important, but how the technologies affect lives and influence the country?s communities, especially the small local farmers. Cruz pointed out that biotechnology would allow precision in resource use and product design. He said to effectively use the tools, it will require listening to what the producers, processors and consumers want, guided by principles of safety, risk assessment and animal welfare. *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-NEW HOPE EMERGES FOR LOCAL COTTON INDUSTRY* 04-January-2010 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture officials are confident that the country?s adoption of the Bt cotton technology from China and India will help boost the local cotton industry and rev up Philippine agriculture in the next few years. Bt cotton, which has the ability to resist the highly-destructive bollworm, will soon be available for commercial plantation as the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Cotton Development Administration (CODA) steps up plans for the introduction of the genetically-engineered pest-resistant cotton variety in the Philippines soon, Agriculture undersecretary for policy and planning Segfredo Serrano revealed. He said the CODA has planted transgenic hybrid cotton in one of its screen houses at the agency?s Cotton Research Center located in Batac City, Ilocos Norte as part of a project to commercially introduce Bt cotton varieties in the country. The introduction of Bt cotton, like the Bt corn, aims to reduce losses because of infestation by pests - in this case the bollworm, which adversely affects cotton production. ?The bollworm infestation of cotton plantations in the Philippines has been severely affecting the local cotton industry. Our biotech solution to this problem is the introduction of a superior variety that resists pests,? DA Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) Director Alicia Ilaga said. The DA BPO supports various research and development projects for ?superior crops? that are disease-free, resistant to pests, and high- yielding crops such as corn, papaya, eggplant and other varieties through genetic engineering. The DA-BPO has been facilitating technology transfer, if not funding local research and development of disease-free and pest-resistant crops. Under the strict supervision of the Biosafety Committee of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Bureau of Plant Industry- Quarantine Service, together with CODA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), six commercial transgenic cotton varieties imported from Nath Biogene (India) Ltd. were planted side by side with three locally-developed commercial non-Bt cotton varieties. The contained experiment will evaluate the efficacy of the six Indian transgenic hy-brid cotton varieties that contains the Chi-na-developed fused Bt genes in controlling bollworm under local environments. Limited field trials will be conducted in CODA?s experiment stations and selected farms in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao within the next one or two cotton seasons. The transgenic hybrid cotton or Bt cotton in the trial contains the fused Bt-genes cry 1Ab/cry 1Ac that provides the plant a high degree of protection against cotton boll-worm (Helicoverpa armigera Hubn.), the most significant pest of cotton. In Asia, Bt cotton is already planted largely in China and India. Bollworm is a great threat to local cotton farming. The pest attacks the cotton plant as early as the vegetative stage feeding on the leaf terminals, fruit buds, flowers, and developing bolls. Current control measure is predominantly through chemical insecticides. Aside from being costly and hazardous to humans and the environment, the pesticide-based management scheme does not guarantee full protection from the target pest. Local farmers spray chemicals 8-10 times, which cost them about 43 percent of the total production cost, yet lose 30-65 percent of their potential yields. Four years ago, CODA inked a memorandum of agreement with the BioCentury Transgene Co. (China) Ltd. to conduct Bt cotton testing in the country as approved by Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap. Funds for the project came from the DA Biotech Program Office (BPO), headed by Ilaga. The project, however, was stalled, according to CODA Administrator Orpia by regulatory procedures at the source country, which is China then later, India. ?Nevertheless, we are finally rolling the very first Bt cotton test in the country after a long wait and we are confident that we shall be commercializing the Bt cotton three seasons later, at the least. Our goal is to provide the local cotton industry a viable alternative cotton variety which provides farmers a higher profit from a technology that requires cheaper cost of producing high quality cotton fiber besides environment-friendly? Orpia reiterated. The Philippines consumes an average of 40,000 metric tons of lint per annum valued at P3 billion, a volume that is almost entirely ? 97 percent ? imported, primarily from the USA. While the country has a favorable soil and climate to grow cotton, the local industry has been enduring a major setback due to various socio-economic and technical factors with the bollworm problem as the most critical. The commercialization of Bt cotton locally is expected to provide the turning point for the cotton sector to recover and enhance the country?s competitiveness in the global arena. It will significantly reduce the cost of production while it increases yield. Besides, cotton is a feasible alternative dry season crop grown after rice. It is also adapted to dry and marginal or saline areas where water is a limiting factor. This agricultural biotechnology product is a feasible import substitute that will save the country from costly cotton importation. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-YIELDING C4 RICE EYED* by Melody M. Aguiba 04-January-2010 Manila Bulletin The futuristic C4 rice which is seen to give rise to the second "green revolution" that will save the globe's poor community from hunger may solely be developed through genetic engineering. The C4 rice may take a long while before a commercial release, but it is targeted to give a yield of 50 percent higher than check varieties (benchmark for high yield). Achim Dobermann in "Future Intensification of Irrigated Rice Systems" said that by 2020 rice yield in irrigated areas must increase to a yield potential of 12 metric tons (MT) per hectare in the dry season and eight to nine MT per hectare in the west season. And C4 rice is needed in order to keep a high yield in delta areas which will be the most adversely impacted by climate change, according to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). As the major trait of C4 plants ? mainly the efficient use of carbon (which represents the C in C4) for more efficient photosynthesis that will enhance rice productivity ? is found outside the rice specie, perhaps the only way to develop this high-yielding rice may be through genetic engineering. "The only tool we can see now that will allow us to see that kind of gene in rice is through genetic modification so you can increase the capture of solar energy (that will be turned into) biomass," said IRRI Deputy Director General William G. Padolina in Growth Revolution Magazine's "Climate Change and Rice Report." C4 rice is being developed to carry the trait normally found in C4 plants such as sorghum, corn, and sugarcane which have higher yield despite lower irrigation requirement unlike the conventional C3 rice which is water-thirsty. IRRI Director General Robert S. Zeigler said what is alarming is that climate change will have more negative impact in the highly rice-productive delta areas including the Mekong Delta (covering Vietnam which is world's second largest rice exporter). *------------------------------------------------------------* *4-GOV?T UPGRADES MOLECULAR TESTING FACILITY* by Marvyn N. Benaning 01-January-2010 Manila Bulletin The Bureau of Plant Industry-Plant Quarantine Service (BPI-PQS) has upgraded its molecular testing facility for plant pathogen and detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to enhance the quality of its lab analyses and comply with international standards. BPI-PQS said the improvement of the facility and procurement of necessary equipment were made possible through a grant from the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program Unit (DA-BPU). The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) also assisted in the upgrade. Upon completion, the facility was turned over by the DA and the ISAAA to the BPI last December 15. ?The Philippines ? biotech regulation continues to evolve and learn from its experiences since the first approval of GM product in 2002. We need to set-up necessary infrastructure for the testing and detection of GMOs and plant pathogen in order to continuously perform our tasks as the main regulatory agency for biotechnology in the country? said BPI assistant director Clarito Barron during the turnover ceremony. BPI has already approved 51 events for the direct use and importation of several biotech crops like alfalfa, corn, soybean and potato. The enhancement of the molecular laboratory of BPI-PQS will further boost the confidence of the general public on the capability of BPI in implementing DA Administrative Order No.8, the policy that governs the importation and release into the environment of plants and plant products derived from the use of modern biotechnology. *------------------------------------------------------------* *5-FIBER BODY EYES MASS PROPAGATION OF NEWLY DEVELOPED ABACA VARIETY* by Danny O. Calleja / Correspondent 31-December-2010 Business Mirror LEGAZPI CITY?The Fiber Industry Development Authority (Fida) is eyeing the mass propagation of a newly developed variety of hybrid abaca (Musa textilis). The new variety is high-yielding and disease-resistant, according to Fida?s regional office based at the Bicol University campus here. Ramon Borromeo, Fida regional director, said over the weekend that this superior abaca variety was introduced by its technology developer, Dr. Antonio Lalusin Jr., of the Crop Science Center of the Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines, Los Ba?os during a recent investors? forum held at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This new hybrid variety is resistant to bunchy-top virus, a dreaded disease that has been taking its toll on the country?s entire abaca industry, the major source of fiber internationally known as Manila hemp, he said. ?The introduction of this biotechnology-developed variety is expected to boost the country?s abaca industry that suffered a severe setback in production in 2006 because of the damages left by Supertyphoons Milenyo and Reming that compounded the lingering effect of bunchy top,? he said. Borromeo said because of these natural calamities and disease infestation, the country?s total abaca-fiber baling in 2007 slowed down to 50,937 metric tons (MT), or 12.4 percent lower than the previous year?s output of 58,160 MT, owing mainly to the lackluster performance of almost all producing regions except Western Visayas and the Cordillera Administrative Region. The biggest decrement in abaca baling in real terms?equivalent to a hefty 3,483 MT?was noted in Bicol, bringing the region?s output down from 13,103 MT, which includes the 217 MT of decorticated abaca. Catanduanes, the country?s top abaca producer, had a lesser output by 15.9 percent or 2,166 MT, while Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur had corresponding reduced outputs of 52.9 percent, 41.4 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively. In terms of regional fiber contribution, Eastern Visayas continued to dominate the production sector with a 37.6-percent share, while Bicol maintained its second position with 25.7 percent. Southern Mindanao was third with 15.3-percent contribution, while Caraga had a 9.7-percent share to the overall annual baling. In terms of provincial comparison, Fida said Catanduanes remains the No. 1 producer of abaca in the country, accounting for about 9,000 MT in fiber production during the first half of this year. The province had 23,676 hectares of abaca plantations cultivated by 15,454 farmers, the largest in the Philippines. According to Borromeo, the hybrid abaca variety assures farmers of increased yield by as much as 300 percent and an even better-quality fiber. In a statement, Lalusin said he hopes to forge business ties with private investors for the mass propagation of the hybrid abaca. ?The business model offered by this technology is tissue-culture laboratory and nursery operations. Like all superior crops developed through tissue culture, this superior abaca variety will be the next sought-after variety, both by operators of commercial plantations and individual farmers,? Lalusin said. Abaca is endemic to the Philippines. It is an important export crop and is a major dollar earner for the country, generating $80 million annually from 1996 to 2000. The Philippines supplies 85 percent of abaca in the world market. As of 2008, abaca was cultivated in about 140,000 hectares in 52 provinces. The country?s abaca industry relies solely on traditional varieties for its survival in the absence of new and improved varieties until the introduction of the high-yielding, virus-resistant hybrid-abaca variety, he said. This newly developed biotechnological variety is timely, Borromeo said, as demand for abaca pulp and fiber is increasing. More countries are shifting to the use of natural fibers in their bid to eliminate dependence on materials that use fossil fuels. ?Car manufacturers are now using abaca as composite materials for vehicle interiors and automotive parts,? he said. Celesa, a pulp-making company is Spain, is now developing tie-ups with local suppliers of abaca; the company is buying from Ecuador, but wants to expand usage of Philippine abaca, Borromeo said. As reported by a local abaca pulp mill, a European buyer is seeking 50,000 MT of abaca pulp per year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas had also advised manufacturers of base paper for the Philippine peso to use abaca pulp as a component material. This means an additional demand of about 250 MT abaca pulp per year. Abaca pulp can be substituted for coniferous pulp in most paper products on the ratio of 4:1; majority of the world?s pulp-and-paper companies use wood pulp, with global demand estimated to be 200 million MT in the year 2000; this is equivalent to about 50 million MT of abaca pulp, he added. *------------------------------------------------------------* *INDIA 6-BT BRINJAL: JAIRAM RAMESH TO HOLD MEETINGS *11-Janaury-2010 The Hindu Environment Minsiter Jairam Ramesh will from Wednesday hold a series of public meetings across the country on the controversial Bt brinjal which was cleared by the country?s bio-technology regulator last year for its commercial cultivation. Besides the first meeting on Wednesday in Kolkata, the next will be held in Bhubaneshwar on January 16, in Ahmedabad on January 19, Hyderabad (January 22), Bangalore (January 23), Nagpur (January 27) and in Chandigarh on January 30, a senior Environment Ministry official said. The meetings will be attended by various stakeholders including scientists, agriculture experts, farmers? organisations, consumer groups and NGOs who have been opposing the genetically modified brinjal. Genetically modified food is that which undergo genetic modification by gene transfer making it pest-resistant. The meetings are being held in view of a controversy over the decision of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) allowing commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal. Ramesh had after the controversy decided to hold the meetings on the issue. It is being promoted by Mahyco Monsanto biotech, joint venture between Hyderabad based Mahyco and US-based Monsanto, along with University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharawad, and Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore. *------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 7-FARMERS LOOK TO BIOTECHNOLOGY TO BATTLE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES *31-December-2009 BioSpectrum Singapore, Dec 31, 2009: Despite mounting challenges brought on by climate change, farmers around the world are increasingly being aided by modern agricultural practices, such as biotechnology. Climate change is already affecting US agriculture and land and water resources, and will continue to do so, according to a USDA report released recently at the climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), in cooperation with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), has released The Effects of Climate Change on US. Ecosystems. Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, Executive Vice President for Food and Agriculture at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) says biotechnology is one tool that can help increase agricultural productivity despite these environmental challenges. ?Our member companies have been developing environmental stress tolerance traits (plants that are naturally tolerant to extreme cold, heat, drought, saline soil, diseases and insect pests) for the past decade, and many of these are poised for commercialization,? says Bomer. ?The pending authorization of these products couldn?t be more timely given the challenges facing farmers. According to this recent report, climate change is hurting crop production, distribution, and yields directly through changes in temperature and precipitation, and indirectly by increasing pest and weed outbreaks. Through biotechnology, seeds yield more per acre, plants naturally resist specific insect pests and diseases, and farmers use less energy. Genetically engineered plants and animals can naturally fight diseases and adapt to environmental stress. Productivity gains through biotechnology are especially crucial at a time when the population is growing and the demand for food is increasing, especially in developing countries. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, feeding a world population of 9.1 billion in 2050 will require raising food production by 70 percent. Food production will need to increase by nearly 100 percent in developing countries, where farmers are most adversely affected by climate change. ?Farmers are not defenseless in their struggle against extreme weather conditions and evolving pest populations. Biotechnology will continue to be one of many tools to help farmers meet these environmental challenges and better provide the food, fuel and fiber to serve a growing population,? Sharon Bomer Lauritsen added. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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] [image: ISAAA Celebrates the Life of its Founding Patron, Nobel Peace Laureate] *51 scholarships available for junior and mid-level DA staff* *Scholarships for 2010 available at the Food Security Center-University of Hohenheim, Germany * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Symposium on the Potentials and Safety Isues of Biofortifies Crops to Address Micronuttrient Deficiencies* *Drilon Hall, SEARCA, College, Laguna, Philippines 18 January 2010,1:00 - 4:00 PM* *3rd International Meeting of Academic Institutions and Organizations involved in Biosafety Education and Training* *Tsukuba, Japan 15 - 17 February 2010* *BioSquare 2010* *Geneva, Switzerland 01 - 02 February 2010* *IUFRO Kuala Lumpur 2010* *Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 07 - 10 March 2010* *8th PCIERD Regional and National S&T Fora and Competition in Industry and Energy Research and Development* *Manila, Philippines March 2010* *CALL FOR PAPERS* *------------------------------- JOB VACANCY @ ISAAA KC Program Associate Deadline of Application is on 30 December 2009 View details here* ** ** *SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center College 4031, Laguna, Philippines Tel +63 49 536 2290 ext 406/169 Fax +63 49 536 4105 E-mail: bic at searca.org* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Wed Jan 13 15:04:56 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:04:56 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] ANNOUNCEMENT: Symposium on the Potentials and Safety Issues of Biofortified Crops, 18 January 2010 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. *Symposium on the Potentials and Safety Issues of Biofortified Crops to Address Micronutrient Deficiencies * *18 January 2010 (Monday), 1:00 - 4:00 PM* Drilon Hall, SEARCA College, Laguna, Philippines ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Click on the link below to view / download Program: http://www.bic.searca.org/events/2010/symposiumbiofortifiedcrops/program.pdf * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For details, please contact: Dr. Wilma Hurtada Faculty-in-charge Institute of Human Nutrition & Food, College of College of Human Ecology University of the Philippines Los Ba?os Laguna, Philippines Telefax no.: (+63-49) 536-2445 The Symposium is organized by the *UPLB Institute of Human Nutrition and Food* in cooperation with the *International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)*, *SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center (BIC)*, and the *Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP)*. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Sun Jan 24 17:08:19 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:08:19 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 24 January 2010 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 January 2010* *PHILIPPINES* 1-CROP BIOFORTIFICATION, KEY TO MEETING MDGs 2-FILIPINO-LED TEAM DISCOVERS MALARIA VACCINE 3-FARM OUTPUT MISSES ?09 TARGET 4-AGRI OFFICIAL ENDORSES PROTOCOL FOR MORINGA MASS PROPAGATION *INDIA* 6-Bt BRINJAL SAFE FOR HUMANS, SAYS SCIENCE MINISTRY *BANGLADESH* 6-GM EGGPLANTS, POTATOES ON TRIAL *GLOBAL* 7-CAN GM CROPS FEED THE HUNGRY? *1-CROP BIOFORTIFICATION, KEY TO MEETING MDGs* by Jenny A. Panopio 22-January-2009 SEARCA BIC Press Release Micronutrients are considered as ?magic wands? as they are essential to growth, health, and wellness of all, especially the children and women. However, micronutrients deficiency is a global problem, contributing to world?s widespread malnutrition and high rate of children and women?s mortality. UNICEF and WHO World Food Programme estimate that more than 2 billion people in the world are deficient in Vitamin A, Iodine, Iron or Zinc. And most these people are deficient to more than one of these micronutrients. According to Dr. Corazon Barba, nutritionist from the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), ?Six out of the eight objectives in the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are related to micronutrient deficiency. And together with conventional interventions, such as supplementation and industrial fortification, biofortification of crops with essential micronutrients could greatly contribute in the attainment of these MDGs?. Dr. Barba believes on the potentials of crop biofortification as one of the long term solutions in combating this widespread and persistent public health problem. Dr. Randy Hautea of ISAAA also trusts that biofortification can help in alleviating global malnutrition. Crop biofortification is a strategy employed by agricultural research institutions to utilize genetic modification (GM) of crops to enhance levels of essential micronutrient. The potentials and safety issues of biofortified crops to address micronutrient deficiencies was the focus of a symposium held last January 18, 2010 at SEARCA, College, Laguna. During the symposium, Dr. Gerard Barry, Golden Rice Network Coordinator of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), shared the current biofortification initiatives in rice for micronutrients Vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Of all these efforts, the pro-Vitamin A Golden rice is considered to be in most advanced stage and is expected to reach commercial approval in the Philippines by the Year 2012 or 2013. Like any other biotech/GM crops, biofortified crops, such as Golden rice, are assessed for food and environmental safety prior to commercial release. The Philippines has set-up policies and regulatory framework that governs such assessment prior to commercial use. The symposium was organized by the UPLB Institute of Human Nutrition and Food in cooperation with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) , SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center and the Biotech Coalition of the Philippines . For more biotechnology updates in the Philippines, visit www.bic.agri.searca.org or email bic at agri.searca.org. *------------------------------------------------------------* *2-FILIPINO-LED TEAM DISCOVERS MALARIA VACCINE* 21-January-2010 ABS-CBN News MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino-led scientific team based in Maryland has discovered a vaccine that prevents the spread of malaria. Rhoel R. Dinglasan, a fellow at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (MRI) in Baltimore, has helped a team of scientists isolate an antigen (a substance that stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies) that prevents a mosquito from transmitting the malaria-causing Plasmodium parasite. The substance also "treats" the mosquito in the process. Dinglasan's research team had prevented mosquitoes from producing sugars in their stomach lining, which Plasmodium parasites need to multiply. By stopping the production of sugar in a mosquito's belly, the parasites cannot multiply. This prevents the mosquito from transferring the malaria-causing parasite to human blood through insect bites. The team's discovery was published in a paper titled "Disruption of Plasmodium falciparum development by antibodies against a conserved mosquito midgut antigen." *Hope for malaria cure* "The antibodies that we have produced are effective against multiple malaria parasites and therefore, this antigen may constitute the basis for a future 'universal' malaria transmission-blocking vaccine," Dinglasan told TIME Magazine in an article published on January 15, 2010. The resulting vaccine, called AnAPN1, will be introduced into a human's body. A mosquito that bites that human will pick up antibodies that prevent it from spreading malaria. The vaccine reportedly works against major types of malaria and a variety of mosquito species. Dinglasan, 37, who headed the ground-breaking research, was a former president of La Salle Green Hills high school. The research was a joint effort of the MRI Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, the Institute of Genetic Medicine of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Their research was published in 2007. *------------------------------------------------------------* *3-FARM OUTPUT MISSES ?09 TARGET * by Riza T. Olchondra 20-January-2010 Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--The farm and fisheries sector missed its revised growth target of 0.5-1.5 percent for 2009. The Department of Agriculture?s original growth target for 2009 was about 3.5 percent, or a bit lower than the 2008 growth of 3.8 percent. Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), however, showed that the agriculture sector grew by only 0.37 percent, as full-year figures were pulled down by the typhoon-riddled October-December period. ?The gains of the first three quarters were cut by huge production losses during the fourth quarter of 2009,? Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said. In the fourth quarter alone, farm output shrank by 2.43 percent from year-ago level. The crops sector bore the brunt of typhoons and floods. Palay or unmilled rice production, which makes up a fifth of the total farm output, dropped in the last three months of the year by 13 percent to 5.36 million tons from 6.22 million tons in the same months in 2008. The fisheries subsector was the agriculture sector?s top gainer in 2009, with a 2.45-percent production growth in the same period. Poultry production grew by 1.82 percent, followed by crops (1.42 percent) and livestock (1.24 percent) from year-ago level. For the whole year, Palay production declined by 3.31 percent to 16.26 million tons from year-ago level, while corn output rose by 1.53 percent. Coconut production grew by 2.2 percent but sugarcane output declined by 10.77 percent. The agriculture department blamed Tropical Storm "Ondoy" and Typhoon "Pepeng" for the decline in farm output. Concerned with food security, the DA said it would give priority to agriculture and fisheries biotechnology and post-harvest technology in an effort to increase productivity and incomes. The government revised its growth targets for 2009 twice as extreme weather conditions pulled down harvests. The original farm output growth target for 2009 was 3.5 percent. It was scaled down to about 2.5 percent in the middle of 2009 and was later adjusted to 0.5 to 1.5 percent in the aftermath of ?Ondoy? and ?Pepeng.? Sometime in December, the DA said the sector would likely meet the lower end of its adjusted growth target range. The government had already made large rice tenders in a tight global market late last year to head off possible shortages of rice. With a report from AFP *------------------------------------------------------------* *4-AGRI OFFICIAL ENDORSES PROTOCOL FOR MORINGA MASS PROPAGATION * 11-January-2010 The Philippine STAR MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pinning its hope on a farmer-scientist?s malunggay seedlings propagation tech-nique to address the increasing demand for malunggay planting materials in the country, an agriculture official said. Alicia Ilaga, outgoing director of the DA Biotechnology Program Office, is endorsing farmer-scientist Terso Rasco?s technique to farmers engaged in the massive propa-gation of seedlings of malunggay, scien-tifically known as Moringa oleifera. Rasco developed a rooting method using bioculture technique to propagate malung-gay seedlings, improving the conventional stem cutting technique used by most farmers in propagating malunggay. Using his technique, farmers could easily double, if not triple, and at a much shorter time the production of planting materials which is usually done also by harvesting the mature malunggay fruits and separating the seeds from the pods from a mature malunggay tree, Ilaga said. Malunggay used to be a mere backyard tree, although Filipinos are already fond of eating malunggay leaves, and its fruit pods, as ingredients to some favorite Filipino dishes, like ?tinolang manok?, ginisang munggo, and ginataang isda. The pods are cooked together with fish in the Ilocos Region. Since the DA-BPO embarked on a mas-sive information, education and commu-nication about the nutritional value of malunggay, its economic importance was also highlighted. The moringa seeds are now being eyed for the production of all-purpose oil, while the leaves are not only sold in the market, but are processed as well. A number of farmers have since started planting malunggay, but the big demand for both the seeds and leaves of malunggay, requires more planting materials. The production of planting materials has become a stumbling block, as there are not enough nurseries to produce the number of seedlings needed to meet the demand, even of a single local investor who has challenged the DA to produce the seeds, as well as leaves, to meet the big market demand abroad. Another way of producing planting materials is by chopping down a malunggay tree, chopping its trunk or branches, about a feet or 12 inches long. When planted, grows roots and produce new branches. This process, however, results in high mortality of the planting materials. Harvesting the seeds from the malunggay fruit takes some time, while stem cuttings easily die when planted. Rasco observed that malunggay has the ability to regrow a branch, or even roots, when cut or chopped down. ?By simply chopping a branch of malunggay and planting it like a malunggay seed, a new malunggay seedling can be grown,? Rasco said. ?You just have to prepare a good seed bed for the chopped malunggay branch to grow new seedlings,? he said. ?This is what we need to produce enough number of planting materials for the commercial cultivation of this miracle tree,? Ilaga said. *------------------------------------------------------------* *INDIA 5-Bt BRINJAL SAFE FOR HUMANS, SAYS SCIENCE MINISTRY *By P. Sunderarajan 19-January-2010 The Hindu Even as the debate over the release of Bt Brinjal for commercial cultivation continues unabated, Union Science and Technology Minister, Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday asserted that the genetically modified variety of the popular vegetable was ``safe??. " We stand by the results of the trials done by the regulatory bodies. It is safe for all", he said, replying to a volley of questions over the controversy at an interaction with journalists here. He pointed out that the country?s premier regulatory body for genetically modified products, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, had cleared Bt Brinjal for regular cultivation in October last year. Mr. Chavan?s assertion comes even as the Union Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh has launched a nation-wide consultation with different stakeholders following opposition to the GEAC?s decision from some NGOs. Bt Brinjal has been developed by inserting into brinjal seeds, genes from a soil bacterium called bacillus thuringiensis, which had the ability to protect plants from a variety of pests. The new variety has been developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds. Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, M.K.Bhan, who was also present at the interaction, noted that eminent scientists had examined the science behind Bt Brinjal and had concluded that it was absolutely safe for human consumption and the environment. Adding his voice in support of Bt Brinjal, Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Samir Brahmachari said farmers would save a lot of money by cultivating it, instead of the normal variety of the vegetable. The interaction was part of the annual conference of social sector editors of newspapers from different parts of the country organised by the Central Government?s Press Information Bureau. *------------------------------------------------------------* *BANGLADESH 6-GM EGGPLANTS, POTATOES ON TRIAL *by Sohel Parvez 14-January-2010 The Daily Star *Scientists foresee new chapter in farm sector* Bangladesh's farm sector is likely to enter an era of biotechnology, as agricultural scientists are advancing in research to develop genetically modified (GM) varieties of eggplants and potatoes. Scientists said the move to introduce transgenic eggplant and potato crops is aimed at relieving farmers of insecticides and fungicides, boosting production and enabling consumers to get pesticide-free vegetables. Eggplants, known as Bt eggplants, are now on trial in seven confined fields at various agriculture research stations. Bt eggplants are in its second year of trial in natural conditions. Potatoes, termed Rb potatoes, are also on trial in two confined fields, said Dr Md Al-Amin, head of biotechnology at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Bari). Prior to putting the crops on trial in confined fields, scientists kept the eggplants and potatoes in greenhouses after transforming the insect-resistant gene-Bacillus Thuringiensis in nine preferred varieties of eggplants and the Rb gene in two varieties of potatoes. The scientist said the Bt eggplant crops yielded good results in previous field trials, expecting that the insect-resistant Bt eggplant could be given to farmers in the next three years, subject to government approval. ?We got good results in the confined field trials last year and found 85-95 percent infestation-free eggplants,? said Al-Amin. If Bt eggplant proves safe for human consumption and harmless to the environment, it will be the first GM crop variety in Bangladesh, which now looks to ensure food security for a growing population by practicing modern agriculture technology, said stakeholders. Environmental activists however opposed the move, arguing that genetically modified brinjals and potatoes will not be safe for human consumption and the environment. ?The way it will be modified leaves a toxic effect in brinjal, which aims at protecting crops from pest attacks. When an insect cannot eat crops, how will it be safe for human consumption,? said Farida Akhter of Nayakrishi Andolon, a platform of farmers who practise ecological agriculture. ?Above all, farmers will lose their right to preserve seeds,? she said, fearing that GM crops may lead to a mono crop culture by damaging the present multi-crop system. ?If crops fail, the farmers will suffer the most,? said Farida, suggesting that policymakers look back at the cases where farmers in India committed suicide after the crops failed. Scientists however differed with Farida regarding toxicity in the human body. ?By the method we have modified, there is no possibility of toxicity in humans," said Al-Amin. ?It requires a receptor to create a toxic effect on humans. But the human body does not have that receptor. Our findings show that it does not create any health hazard.? The move to introduce transgenic eggplants and potatoes, with the strength to resist 'fruit and shoot borer' (FSB) in eggplants and 'late blight' in potatoes, has come as farmers suffer from crop losses because of these two destructive diseases. To avoid such losses, farmers use huge quantities of insecticides in one of the mostly consumed vegetable -- eggplants. It not only creates a risk to consumer health but also forces farmers to spend up to Tk 60,000 a hectare. Farmers count Tk 26,000 a hectare in fungicides to save potatoes from late blight disease attacks, scientists said. The initiative to develop GM eggplants and potatoes was taken based on technical collaboration with Cornell University under the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II, funded by the United States Agency for International Development. Al-Amin said introduction of these two transgenic vegetables will boost production by preventing crop loss due to diseases. These crops will also relieve farmers of spending thousands of taka on insecticides and fungicides to avoid crop loss. It will also enable consumers to get pesticide-free potatoes and eggplants, he said. ?Our main goal is to raise production by preventing losses from diseases in eggplants and potatoes. We also aim to minimise health hazards to consumers due to pesticides,? said the scientist. ?We are getting good results in eggplant. We have also found potatoes moderately disease-resistant in trials last year,? he said. He expects that Bt eggplants could first be placed with the National Technical Committee on Bio-safety for approval next year. ?If we can prove that these transgenic crops are safe for human consumption and get environment clearance, we will be able to reach out seeds to farmers in the next three years,? he said, referring to eggplants. *sohel at thedailystar.net* *------------------------------------------------------------* *GLOBAL 7-CAN GM CROPS FEED THE HUNGRY?* by Carol Campbell 20-January-2010 SciDev.Net *GM crops were supposed to rescue the world's one billion undernourished people. Carol Campbell discusses whether they will ever curb hunger.* [OUDTSHOORN] Golden Rice burst into the public imagination a decade ago, in the form of a cover article in Time magazine that claimed the genetically modified (GM) rice could "save a million kids a year". The rice gets its golden hue from an excess of beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A that could help half a million children who go blind each year from an often-fatal vitamin A deficiency. But ten years later, Golden Rice is yet to cure blindness ? and some believe it never will. *The public versus GM* Co-inventor Ingo Potrykus points to resistance to GM technology from pressure groups such as Greenpeace that has resulted in public and governmental resistance ? including fears that rogue GM genes may contaminate wild varieties or that GM technology services corporate greed and will never help the poor. This has led to "excessive" regulations that have choked efforts to roll out GM crops that might feed the poor, he says. And there are other concerns ? the cost; the slowness of the research; even the idea that a "magic bullet" approach to nutrition can provide the answer to what is, some argue, a social, cultural and economic problem. Does this mean that all GM foods are fated never to solve the undernutrition of the poor? If public resistance dwindles, will the crops live up to their promise to help feed the world's undernourished (estimated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to number one billion in 2009)? Rowan Sage, one of the scientists working on the creation of 'C4 rice' ? another engineered rice that could one day produce a radically improved yield ? says it is crucial to get public approval if GM is to tackle malnutrition. The social obstacles are huge, he says, and acceptance is "critical" for C4 rice's success. "We have got to get buy-in because they [the hungry poor] could easily just say they don't want it," says Sage, an ecological and evolutionary biologist at the University of Toronto, Canada, working with the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on the project. Guillaume Gruere, a research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) believes that most of the reasons behind the fact that there are no publicly-developed GM food crops available for the poor can be traced back to resistance. Many of the obstacles in developing countries have "in large part resulted from influences from countries and organisations opposed to the use of GM food", Gruere says. Some GM proponents are pessimistic that these issues will be resolved anytime soon. For example, HarvestPlus, a global programme aimed at creating more nutritious staple crops, is avoiding GM technology almost entirely and using conventional breeding instead. But many people believe resistance will eventually wane. Robert Ziegler, director-general of IRRI, says it's unlikely that those opposing GM will be able to hold back the technology forever. "In general the issue in many developing countries is that they don't have a regulatory framework to handle them [GM crops]," Ziegler told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago last year (2009). "There are pretty strong, mostly Europe-based, lobbies who oppose their use in Sub-Saharan Africa. I think that as crops that have direct benefit to consumers come on board they will eventually be accepted." Even Golden Rice is making some progress, he said. It is being field tested in the Philippines and the first batches may be commercially available by 2011?12. *A balanced diet* But even if opposition evaporates, there are other reasons why GM crops may fail to solve the problem of malnutrition ? will tackling one particular nutritional deficiency ever bring broad success in a war that concerns so many nutrients? For Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in the Food & Environment Program at the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists, introducing genetically-engineered crops into a developing world environment is a piecemeal approach. "Nutritional deficiency in an impoverished community would be better addressed by encouraging and helping people eat a balanced diet that includes green leafy vegetables and protein rather than trying to pack everything into cassava or rice," he says. People with one deficiency often also have other nutrient deficiencies that will not be addressed by this kind of single-nutrient approach, he argues. "I am not opposed to Golden Rice, if it works and is shown to be safe. But is it really a good use of development resources?" Using GM to tackling a range of deficiencies in one go is the goal of the BioCassava Plus project, which aims to pack almost a full meal into cassava, a staple for 250 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. *Turning cassava into a square meal* The GM cassava is engineered to be more nutritious on several counts and to have a longer shelf life, disease resistance and lower cyanide levels. Early versions of the plant, with one or two characteristics introduced, are undergoing field trials in Nigeria and Puerto Rico, and is set to be tested in Kenya. The initiative is under the supervision of Richard Sayre from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in the United States. Sayre rejects Gurian-Sherman's argument: "We know our cassava can help people," he says. "Initial estimates are that, in the first round of production, 35,000 lives will be saved in Nigeria. The long term impact is millions of lives saved." Such claims are beguiling, but what about the cost when there's a limited international pot from which to fund nutrition? Gurian-Sherman argues that the costs are so high that efforts should go elsewhere. A new biotechnology crop, he says, could cost up to US$100 million to produce (excluding regulatory costs) while the same crop improved through traditional methods would cost US$1 million. In the case of C4 rice, the development costs are vast, says Sage. "It is extremely expensive work," he told the AAAS meeting. "In order to create a sustained programme it needs US$10 million a year." But, he argued, "it's cheap compared with the benefits". C4 rice could, he says, increase yield by 50 per cent ? and the benefits of that are in the trillions of dollars. The C4 project must therefore be viewed in the long term to understand its benefits. It will take two to three decades to come to fruition but could help solve the food challenges of 2050, he said. So perhaps by 2050, with biosafety frameworks in place, resistance to GM subdued by the growing trouble of world hunger, and comprehensive GM solutions that solve a host of deficiencies in a single plant, GM might solve the problem of malnutrition? *Is GM a crude solution?* But there is still one major objection ? that the problem of poor nutrition is so complex that it is crude to think it can be solved by GM. The poor don't get enough food for a number of reasons: infrastructure, such as poor roads along which to take their goods to market; lack of fertiliser; lack of training in farming methods. The rise of monocultures has reduced the variety of their diets. Land is distributed inefficiently or unfairly with the poor pushed onto unproductive land ? and this requires legal reform followed by implementation. Popping a gene into a tomato is not going to solve these problems, it is argued. Andrea Roberto Sonnino, a senior agricultural research officer at the Research and Extension Unit of the FAO in Italy, says: "GM can contribute to improved nutrition but we have to consider that nutrition is a result of many social, cultural, economic and political factors". To improve the nutrition of the poor, action cannot be limited to the improvement of the nutritional quality of a particular crop, he says. Bonnie McClafferty, head of development and communications at HarvestPlus agrees. "The enormity and complexity of the problem means we need [many] solutions to be made available, including diversifying diets, commercially fortifying foods, administering nutrition supplements, and breeding crops to be rich in vitamins and minerals," she says. "While the amounts of desired nutrient in food crops can be enhanced through conventional breeding, where these nutrients are not found in parent breeding lines, or cannot be increased in the amount needed to improve nutrition, GM foods can be seen as part of the solution." "GM technology may well be able to go beyond where conventional plant breeding can take us." Perhaps, as with the approach to climate change, the solution lies in a web of interventions of which GM may be one. And, like climate change, it may be foolhardy to ignore any of them. *Carol Campbell is a freelance science journalist based in Oudtshoorn, South Africa* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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] [image: ISAAA Celebrates the Life of its Founding Patron, Nobel Peace Laureate] *New biotech book assesses costs, benefits, and environmental impacts * *University Consortium Executive Board meets; approves new collaborative projects in 2010 * *---------------------------------------------------------* *Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE. * *---------------------------------------------------------* *7th Annual BIO Asia Partnering Conference* *Tokyo, Japan 25 - 26 January 2010* *Bio Asia 2010: The Global Bio Business Forum* *Hyderabad, India 03 - 06 February 2010* *3rd International Meeting of Academic Institutions and Organizations involved in Biosafety Education and Training* *Tsukuba, Japan 15 - 17 February 2010* *BioSquare 2010* *Geneva, Switzerland 01 - 02 February 2010* *IUFRO Kuala Lumpur 2010* *Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 07 - 10 March 2010* *Forum on Biotechnology: Biotechnology: Opening Doors and Creating Opportunities for Food Sustainability* *University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), Davao City, Philippines 08 March 2010* *41st Anniversary and Annual Scientific Conference of the Pest Management Council of the Philippines (PMCP)* *Waterfront Insular Hotel, Lanang, Davao City, Philippines 09 - 12 March 2010* *40th Anniversary and Scientific Conference of the Crop Science Society of the Philippines* *Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City, Philippines 15 - 20 March 2010* *8th PCIERD Regional and National S&T Fora and Competition in Industry and Energy Research and Development* *Manila, Philippines March 2010* *CALL FOR PAPERS* *------------------------------- JOB OPPORTUNITIES: ISAAA Program Associate View details here* *Line Development Breeder (Indonesia) View details here* ** ** *SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center College 4031, Laguna, Philippines Tel +63 49 536 2290 ext 406/169 Fax +63 49 536 4105 E-mail: bic at searca.org* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From searcabic at gmail.com Tue Jan 26 09:36:35 2010 From: searcabic at gmail.com (SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center) Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:36:35 +0800 Subject: [searcabic] News Release: Crop Biofortification, Key to Meeting MDGs / News Feature: Addressing Biosafety Concerns: How Safe is Biotechnology? 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 26 January 2010* 1-NEWS RELEASE: CROP BIOFORTIFICATION, KEY TO MEETING MDGs 2-NEWS FEATURE: ADDRESSING BIOSAFETY CONCERNS: HOW SAFE IS BIOTECHNOLOGY? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *1-CROP BIOFORTIFICATION, KEY TO MEETING MDGs* *by Jenny A. Panopio 22-January-2009 SEARCA BIC Press Release* Micronutrients are considered as ?magic wands? as they are essential to growth, health, and wellness of all, especially the children and women. However, micronutrients deficiency is a global problem, contributing to world?s widespread malnutrition and high rate of children and women?s mortality. UNICEF and WHO World Food Programme estimate that more than 2 billion people in the world are deficient in Vitamin A, Iodine, Iron or Zinc. And most these people are deficient to more than one of these micronutrients. According to Dr. Corazon Barba, nutritionist from the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), ?Six out of the eight objectives in the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are related to micronutrient deficiency. And together with conventional interventions, such as supplementation and industrial fortification, biofortification of crops with essential micronutrients could greatly contribute in the attainment of these MDGs?. Dr. Barba believes on the potentials of crop biofortification as one of the long term solutions in combating this widespread and persistent public health problem. Dr. Randy Hautea of ISAAA also trusts that biofortification can help in alleviating global malnutrition. Crop biofortification is a strategy employed by agricultural research institutions to utilize genetic modification (GM) as well as conventional breeding of crops to enhance levels of essential micronutrient. The potentials and safety issues of biofortified crops to address micronutrient deficiencies was the focus of a symposium held last January 18, 2010 at SEARCA, College, Laguna. During the symposium, Dr. Gerard Barry, Golden Rice Network Coordinator of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), shared the current biofortification initiatives in rice for micronutrients Vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Of all these efforts, the pro-Vitamin A Golden rice is considered to be in most advanced stage and is expected to reach commercial approval in the Philippines by the Year 2012 or 2013. Like any other biotech/GM crops, biofortified crops, such as Golden rice, are assessed for food and environmental safety prior to commercial release. The Philippines has set-up policies and regulatory framework that governs such assessment prior to commercial use. The symposium was organized by the UPLB Institute of Human Nutrition and Food in cooperation with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) , SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center and the Biotech Coalition of the Philippines . For more biotechnology updates in the Philippines, visit www.bic.agri.searca.org or email bic at agri.searca.org. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *2-ADDRESSING BIOSAFETY CONCERNS: HOW SAFE IS BIOTECHNOLOGY?* *by Reynaldo V. Ebora, Carlo G. Custodio and Virginia G. Nevonario ? Enriquez* [image: Download new BioLife Magazine!] *BIOLIFE 2009 Number 2* THE PHILIPPINES established the first functional biosafety regulation in the developing world as early as 1990 through Executive Order 430 issued by the President Corazon C. Aquino. In 2002, the country became the first country in Asia to commercialize a transgenic crop for food, feed and processing. At present, the Philippines is the only Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) country commercially producing GM crops. ASEAN countries are in various stages of regulatory development with each country pursuing its own research and development (R&D) agenda. However, experience has shown that a functional biosafety system is a very critical factor in the successful commercial release of genetically modified (GM) crops; the absence of clear regulatory mechanism is also one of the stumbling blocks for the commercialization of GM crops. Indonesia, for instance, has stopped producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton since 2001 after commercially planting it in limited areas in South Sulawesi, partly due to the absence of a clear regulatory mechanism. On the other hand, a very strict regulatory system practically makes adoption of GM technology a big challenge, if not an impossible one. *Setting up the Philippine biosafety regulatory system* The Philippines has recognized the potential benefits of the responsible use of biotechnology from the time of President Marcos to President Arroyo. The Philippine government has supported biotech R&D as well as the establishment of sound biosafety policies. The National Institute of Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology [which was later renamed National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH)] was established in UP Los Ba?os during the time of President Marcos. Side-by-side with the support to research was the establishment and development of biosafety guidelines to ensure the safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology. In 1990, President Aquino issued Executive Order 430 instituting the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) that effectively regulates recombinant DNA research in the country. President Ramos also recognized modern biotechnology as one of the tools to realize improvement in crop production under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA). Similarly, both Presidents Estrada and Arroyo issued policy statements affirming that modern biotechnology is an important tool for agricultural production and food security. In 2006, President Arroyo also issued Executive Order 514 to further strengthen the NCBP. *Bt corn: Handling the Biosafety issue* The first greenhouse evaluation of Bt corn in the Philippines was approved in September 1997. This was followed by field tests conducted in December 1999 to March 2002 under the supervision of the NCBP. Multi-location field trials were conducted by Monsanto Philippines in July 2001 to May 2002 and Pioneer Hi-Breed Philippines in June 2002 to July 2003. With products nearing commercialization, the need for a set of regulations that would assess both short and long-term effects on the environment and human health was realized. The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) became responsible in regulating field tests and monitoring the eventual commercial propagation of GM crops and thus practically made adoption of GM technology possible. In April 2002, the Department of Agriculture (DA), through then Secretary Leonardo Montemayor, issued Administrative Order No. 8 ? Rules and Regulations for the Importation and Release into the Environment of Plants and Plant Products Derived from the Use of Modern Biotechnology. Bt corn was commercially released in December 2002. A study by Yorobe et al (2004) showed that while Bt corn seeds cost twice as much than their conventional counterparts, farmers realized greater profits. Expenses related to pesticide use were reduced and yield was higher compared to conventional corn. After Bt corn, the Philippines approved next for commercial release GM herbicide-tolerant corn and GM corn stacked with both the insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant traits. As of June 2009, the total area planted to transgenic corn is estimated at 1,077,947 hectares, a clear proof of the high adoption rate of the technology by the corn farmers. *Coming-more GM crops from the public sector* Currently in the pipeline for commercial release in the Philippines are GM crops developed by public-sector research institutes. These are: 1) papaya ringspot virus (PRSV)-resistant papaya; 2) fruit and shoot borer-resistant eggplant, and; 3) delayed ripening papaya. These have been subjected to confined field trials (CFT) where their agronomic performance was evaluated while subjecting them to environmental risk assessment. CFT allows field evaluation without compromising environmental safety. Also, the experienced gained in handling private-sector GM crops is used in the field evaluation of GM crops developed by the public sector. While the Philippines may not have the most number of ongoing researches in the developing world, its functional biosafety system paves the way for the safe and responsible evaluation and the eventual use of GM crops developed by both the private and public sectors. *Now in operation, Philippine Biosafety Clearing House (BCH Pilipinas)* One of the main features of the Philippine biosafety regulatory system is transparency, i.e., decisions made related to GM crops are transparent, with due consideration to crucial confidential business information. In 2008, the Philippines established the web-based BCH Pilipinas ( http://bch.dost.gov.ph/system/), in compliance to the country?s membership in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. BCH Pilipinas basically makes biotechnology and biosafety information at the public?s fingertips. BCH Pilipinas is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the following government departments as Competent National Authorities: Departments of Science and Technology (DOST), Agriculture (DA), Health (DOH) and Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Information on risk assessment, transformation events for food, feed and processing approved by the government for importation as well as biosafety-related trainings, seminars and workshops can be obtained from BCH Pilipinas, which are regularly updated. *Lessons Learned and Challenges* One of the lessons learned in the commercialization of transgenic crops in the Philippines is the importance of having a transparent and predictable regulatory system that facilitates compliance by the technology developers, as well as builds public trust and confidence in the regulatory process. Public participation is also key to biosafety decision-making. In the Philippines system, public participation is provided for through the community representatives in the Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) who are directly involved in the evaluation of biosafety applications. Any biosafety application cannot be acted upon by higher authorities unless it is favorably endorsed by the IBC, thus allowing direct participation of the public in the decision-making process, aside from giving them the opportunity to comment on the proposed field trails. Like any other biological based system, biosafety regulations are not static and, in fact, are continuously evolving due to the development of new biotechnology products and the discovery of new knowledge associated with emerging technologies. It is therefore imperative that capacity-building of personnel involved in biosafety evaluation be constantly pursued in order to have a system responsive to the current technical and communication needs. Sustained information, education and communication (IEC) campaign is essential so that the public is informed with the current biotechnology-related developments. Although debates on the pros and cons of transgenic technology are not expected to totally go away, the success of the technology can be partly measured in its safe and sustainable use, and its adoption by the consumers and the general public. Like any other new technology, a positive public perception is a must for the successful adoption of biotechnology in the country. Fortunately, current studies have shown that Filipinos generally viewed biotechnology positively. *The way forward* Considering the accomplishment of the Philippines in biotechnology R&D and the gains obtained from the adoption and actual utilization of GN technologies, particularly in agriculture, it is logical for both private and public sectors to sustain their current efforts to mainstream the use of biotechnology in the production system while taking biosafety aspects into full consideration. Indeed, biosafety is like a twin of biotechnology; it is an essential component for biotechnology to be successfully adopted by the public. * Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, is the Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development. Dr. Virginia G. Novenario-Enriquez is the Research Information and Utilization Division (RIUD) Chief of the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD). Mr. Carlo G. Custodio, is from the Program for Biosafety System (PBS) Southeast Asia. * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *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 . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: