What’s in a Name?

Rewilding Use molecular biological techniques Introduce into plants genes that had been bred out Speed up the “natural” process of crossing modern plants with ancient ones until they have the gene they want in a crop plant that needs it Examples: Flood-resistant rice, Rust (fungus)-resistant wheat

Advantages Restoring long-lost genes (Important!!!: preserve diversity; heirloom varieties, seed banks, etc. ) Only reincorporating genes of interest Much faster process Sometimes the only alternative: in polyploid plants (with several genetic complements)

Definition Conundrum In US and Canada: non-G.M.O. foods are prohibited from having genes that could not have occurred in nature in that plant. Ergo, adding a gene from an ancient variety of the same plant using precision breeding would be allowed. In Europe: G.M.O. is defined by the process, not the product. Ergo, methods of genetic engineering are forbidden, even if the gene that is added is from the same plant.

Biopharming

Definition Synthesizing plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) out of transgenic field crops Large-molecule drugs based on proteins ( ex. Ebola vaccine, therapies to treat and detect cancer and cardiovascular and infectious diseases)

Ebola Therapeutic Drug ZMapp Mixture of 3 antibodies Tobacco plants are infected with genetically engineered viruses (harmless to humans) carrying the genes for the 3 antibodies Upon infection, the virus produce great amounts of the antibodies Plants are harvested and the antibodies extracted Injected into patients Tried on 18 sick rhesus monkeys: all recovered [ Nature (2014)]

Controversial Issues Contamination of food crops ZMapp was first tried in tomato; later moved to tobacco But potentially less costly: once the genetically modified plant is made, all you need is a field to grow it, sun and water Extraction from biological materials is far less costly than in vitro synthesis

Public Perception Most Americans are unaware of biopharming Consumers are generally favorable toward using biotechnology to produce medicines Less enthusiastic about using transgenic animals to produce medicines than GM plants

Public Concerns Corporate ownership of genetic Unforeseen impacts on human health Environmental consequences Moral/ethical concerns Concerns may be offset by perceptions of need or benefit, especially in the context of medical applications

Willingness to Purchase Purchase group Support for technology Total YesNo Willing Reluctant Unwilling Total Note. Summary percentages are based on n = 510 observations