1. BIOTECHNOLOGY & GENETIC ENGINEERING AN INTRODUCTION
Professor Chrissie Rey
School of Molecular and Cell Biology

2. What is Biotechnology? Biotechnology can be regarded as:
Innovation in the use of any biological substance to make products of use to humans.
This began in prehistory e.g breadmaking
In a more specific sense, biotechnology refers to the application or modification of genetically modified (GM) organisms for improvement or enhancement in agriculture, health or industry.
Genetic Engineering is a means of altering a biological organism
Genetic Engineering of plants for e.g. is inserting a gene (showing a particular trait e.g. fruit size) from one source, into a plant. The source can be from another plant, animal or human.
Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

3. WHAT IS GENETIC ENGINEERING?
GE is the genetic manipulation of organisms such as animals, plants or bacteria
This is usually achieved through cloning (plants and bacteria) or in the case of animals through nucleus transfer from donor cell (parent you wish to clone) to recipient cell (egg cell from another parent whose nucleus has been discarded)

4. WHAT IS CLONING?

5. DOLLY THE SHEEP: FIRST GENETICALLY ENGINEERED OR CLONED ANIMAL

7. Applications of Biotechnology
Red biotechnologies refer to medical or pharmaceutical processes e.g. designing an organism to produce antibodies
Engineering of genetic cures such as gene therapy
Disease diagnosis tools
Insulin for diabetes
Vaccines for HIV
Green biotechnology is agricultural crop processes
White biotechnology is industrial biotechnology e.g. design an organism to clean up pollution or produce a chemical
- e.g. production of chymosin from GM yeast for cheese making
Bio-economy refers to investments and economic output of all biotechnologies
Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

8. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR AFRICA
DISEASES AND PARASITES
Malaria (mosquito control)
HIV
Hepatitis A (food borne diseases) TB
FOOD SECURITY
Yield
Quality (nutritional value)
Pest and disease resistance
Drought resistance

9. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR GAUTENG

10. INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

11. PLANT GENETIC ENGINEERING

12. Neolithic humans created new plant varieties by artificial selection
Humans have intervened in the reproduction and genetic makeup of plants for thousands of years.
Neolithic (late Stone Age) humans domesticated virtually all of our crop species over a relatively short period about 10,000 years ago.
However, even for these plants, genetic modifications began long before humans started altering crops by artificial selection.
For example, the wheat groups that we harvest are the result of natural hybridizations between different species of grasses.
Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

13. Biotechnology and the food crisis
Whatever the social and demographic causes of human starvation around the world, increasing food production seems like a humane objective.
Because land and water are the most limiting resources for food production, the best option will be to increase yields on available lands.
Based on conservative estimates of population growth, the world’s farmers will have to produce 40% more grain per hectare to feed the human population in 2020.
Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

16. Gene of interest integrated into Agrobacterium
Plant tissue transformed
Transformed cells cultured
Plantlets grown up
Plants tested for successful transformation (i.e. foreign gene inserted)
Phenotypes recorded.
Genetic analysis to determine copy number.
Crop is tested for “inserted trait”
Comparison of GE crop with non-GM crop

18. SA plant biotechnology focus
Primarily aimed at controlling diseases and pests.
Insect pests.
Virus pests.
Fungal and bacterial diseases.
Improving the storage properties of food.
Improving weed control.
Improving yield and quality of foods.
Protecting natural resources.
Drought and salt tolerance.

19. South African GM crop acreage 2003
0.5million hectares of biotech crops grown in SA (2005):
8th in the world (world total 90 million hectares).
Update 2006: Combined trait bollworm and herbicide (stacked)
cotton variety now released in SA

20. WHO BENEFITS? The Farmers!!!!
Average gain using Bt-cotton is is R1047 profit per ha

21. Transgenic maize growing in South Africa

22. Benefits of Bt maize (2)
Fumonisins produced by Fusarium linked to oesophageal cancer
Eastern Cape region in SA has one of the highest incidences of oesophageal cancer in the world
Associated with home grown maize (testing for mycotoxin levels not practical)

23. Benefits of Bt Maize
Bt maize controlled stalk borers with 97% efficiency, against 75-85% efficiency from chemical insecticides.
Bt maize gave yield advantages on average of 10% in South Africa
Reduction in insect attack reduces fungal infection

24. Plant biotechnology has incited much public debate
Many people, including some scientists, are concerned about the unknown risks associated with the release of GM organisms into the environment.
Much of the animosity regarding GM organisms is political, economic, or ethical in nature, but there are also biological concerns about GM crops.
The most fundamental debate centers on the extent to which GM organisms are an unknown risk that could potentially cause harm to human health or to the environment.
Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

25. CAN WE CLONE A HUMAN BEING?

26. GM FOOD – FEAR HAS BIG EYES

28. CONCERNS (Be willing to address concerns)
Farmers
Access
Sustainability
Benefit sharing
Human Health
Multi-drug resistance
Allegenicity
Environment
Weeds
Biodiversity

29. What to tell the consumer?
General information on GM food should be provided in a reasonable and balanced manner
South Africa has a government-funded programme on public understanding of biotechnology to set the information in context

30. What does the public think? Buying response to GM food
Percentage
Never buy
Not buy till more info
Buy but get more info
Buy
Depends

31. Food Labeling Labeling should address issues of: Safety Nutrition
Ethics (religion)

32. Procedures for decision making under the GMO Act

33. } } } Ag Biotechnology Product Path Safety Assessment - Phase I
Discovery
Line Selection
Product Advancement }
Post
Market
Transfor- mation
Line
Selection
Variety
Development
Field
Production
Gene
Discovery
GH & Field
Evaluation
Product
Concept }
Safety / Registrability Assessment
Choice of Genes / Proteins
trait of interest
selectable marker
Source of Genes
safety (history of safe use)
ethics
Environmental / Ecological Concern
gene
specific crop
Early Allergology and Toxicology Assessment
GO / NO GO decision }
Environmental Assessment

34. Conclusions GM Food is not inherently unsafe
Most applications facing Africa in the near term will be for crops such as Bt maize that have already received regulatory approval elsewhere in the world
Data generated elsewhere are in many cases still applicable – no need to produce a whole new data file
Regulators should take care to assess safety issues objectively, not be swayed by public pressure
Take care to focus on what you need to know, limit the “nice to know” questions
Safety issues should not be confused with issues of ethics or personal choice