Waiter, There's a Drug in my Rice!

[Guest guest]

Why are we allowing these companies to taint our food supply? OH, I forgot....$$$$.

Peace - Anna

 

Waiter, There's a Drug in My Rice

By Kristen Philipkoski

 

02:00 AM Mar. 30, 2004 PT

 

 

The California Rice Commission on Monday approved a biotech company's request to grow the state's first crop genetically modified to contain a drug.

The rice commission narrowly passed the proposal by a 6-5 vote. The commission advises the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which has the final decision on whether Ventria Bioscience of Sacramento can plant its pharmaceutical crop. If the agency approves, the company could be the first to commercialize such a product.

The rice is genetically modified to produce two human proteins that fight infection: lactoferrin and lysozyme. Some rice growers and environmental groups oppose the project, saying the rice could contaminate regular crops and damage the export market.

"Consumers in Japan will not accept (genetically engineered) contamination of any crop," said rice farmer Greg Massa in a statement. "The decision to approve Ventria's guidelines is bad news for farmers and California's rice industry."

But Ventria's proteins could be a big step forward in preventing infections in infants. Lactoferrin and lysozyme are present in breast milk, and protect babies from ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, meningitis and other infections. But these protective proteins disappear when a baby stops breast feeding or doesn't receive breast milk at all. Researchers at Ventria were first to develop a human form of these proteins that could become therapies.

Ventria believes growing rice that produce proteins like lactoferrin and lysozyme in rice could be a cheaper way to develop drugs than building and maintaining expensive manufacturing plants.

But environmental groups and consumer advocates sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November 2003 for inadequate oversight of pharmaceutical crops. Dow Chemical and Epicyte Pharmaceuticals are experimenting with corn, soybeans, tobacco, rice and sugar crops to find a cheaper way to mass-produce drugs.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,62860,00.html

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