DNA Technology & the Story of “Golden Rice”

Malnutrition

Vitamin A deficiency Weakens the immune system Can lead to blindness which increases the risk of death Is entirely preventable! Many humanitarian organization such as Unicef distribute vitamin A drops in developing countries.

Vitamin A deficiency: The Problem 400 million poor in rice-based societies are Vitamin A deficient.  500,000 children per year go blind. 1.15 million VAD-precipitated deaths among children world wide.  Rice is the main staple crop for most of these children, but rice lack pro-vitamin A and other micronutrients. Aka. Beta Carotene

Vitamin A deficiency: The Solution Golden Rice Development by Potrykus and Beyer Contains a gene from maize or daffodil plants and common soil bacterium (Erwinia) Switzerland and Germany VA expressed exclusively in the endosperm (Seed) The enzyme product of these genes lead to the formation of lycopene which is converted to pro-vitamin A beta carotenes Rice golden color from increased beta carotene……Carrot story

Golden Rice Starting in the 1990s there was not enough Beat carotene in the rice to make a substantial impact on Vitamin A deficincies. More recently developed lines now have more vitamin A and a greater potential to help solve this problem.

Golden Rice Free distribution of seeds Potential to save millions of lives and prevent millions of children from going blind. So why is it not in large scale distribution? This brings us to some of the ethical & cultural issues surrounding some uses of DNA technology. Why you may not have heard of it.

Issues Surrounding Golden Rice Environmental Social Political Many humanitarian oranization oppose Golden Rice……It is not ready for large scale production. What could some of the environmental impacts be? What do you think about these arguments? If this can save millions of children does it matter what the environmental consequences are? Ray Badbrary’s story about the time traveler Multi gene control of almost anything……….How will this impact humans? Environment if this gene spreads into other species?

Golden Rice Is it worth the risks?

Sources Golden Rice Organization unicef Goldenrice.org http://www.childinfo.org/areas/vitamina/

Uses DNA Technology Food Supply Medicine Biotech & transgenic Crops Medicine Genomic study & treatment of disease DNA fingerprinting / forensic investigation Study of Evolution From what I understand you have been working on timelines of discoveries and technology of DNA? DNA today has become a very powerful tool in many realms of everyday life. Food supply, what we just talked about with some of those issues Medicine, lots of issues surrounding proper uses of it as a diagnosis tool etc. DNA fingerprinting, accuracy /tampering issues Study of Evolution, how useful is it?

Methods of studying DNA Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) DNA Sequencing As I’m sure you’ve seen working on your timeline there have been many new advances in DNA technology over the last several decades. Many new methods and techniques have been developed, and I really think that it is an exciting time to be around. As we can learn more about ourselves and the world around us through use and further development of these technologies.

Ethics of DNA Technology Food Supply Biotech & transgenic Crops Medicine Genomic study & treatment of disease As with our presentations earlier…………there are several ethical questions raised by the use of genetically modified organisms, Human gene therapy

Presentation Topics DNA cloning Genomics Biotechnology DNA in medicine