Green Gene Technology: Research in an Area of Social Conflict PDF
Preview Green Gene Technology: Research in an Area of Social Conflict
107 Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology SeriesEditor:T.Scheper EditorialBoard: W.Babel·I.Endo·S.-O.Enfors·A.Fiechter·M.Hoare·W.-S.Hu B.Mattiasson·J.Nielsen·H.Sahm·K.Schügerl·G.Stephanopoulos U.vonStockar·G.T.Tsao·C.Wandrey·J.-J.Zhong AdvancesinBiochemicalEngineering/Biotechnology SeriesEditor:T.Scheper RecentlyPublishedandForthcoming Volumes GreenGeneTechnology MarineBiotechnologyI ResearchinanAreaofSocialConflict VolumeEditors:LeGal,Y.,Ulber,R. VolumeEditors:Fiechter,A.,Sautter,C. Vol.96,2005 Vol.107,2007 MicroscopyTechniques WhiteBiotechnology VolumeEditor:Rietdorf,J. VolumeEditors:Ulber,R.,Sell,D. Vol.95,2005 Vol.105,2007 RegenerativeMedicineII AnalyticsofProtein-DNAInteractions ClinicalandPreclinicalApplications VolumeEditor:Seitz,H. VolumeEditor:Yannas,I.V. Vol.104,2007 Vol.94,2005 TissueEngineeringII RegenerativeMedicineI BasicsofTissueEngineeringandTissue Theories,ModelsandMethods Applications VolumeEditor:Yannas,I.V. VolumeEditors:Lee,K.,Kaplan,D. 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Vol.87,2004 Green Gene Technology ResearchinanAreaofSocialConflict Volume Editors: Armin Fiechter · ChristofSautter Withcontributionsby P.Aerni·N.Arrigo·H.Bauser·J.B.vanBeilen F.Bigler·H.Brunner·A.Einsele·F.Felber·C.Gessler R.Guadagnuolo·F.Kessler·G.Kozlowski·M.Leisola N.Malgras·M.P.Oeschger·A.Patocchi·M.-L.Plissonnier Y.Poirier·J.Romeis·O.Sanvido·C.Sautter ·T.Schlaich A.Schrell·C.E.Silva·B.Urbaniak·P.-A.Vidi·F.Widmer 123 AdvancesinBiochemicalEngineering/Biotechnologyreviewsactualtrendsinmodernbiotechnology. Itsaim isto coverallaspects ofthisinterdisciplinary technologywhereknowledge, methodsand expertisearerequiredforchemistry,biochemistry,micro-biology,genetics,chemicalengineeringand computerscience.Specialvolumesarededicatedtoselectedtopicswhichfocusonnewbiotechnological productsandnew processes for their synthesis and purification.They give the state-of-the-art of atopicinacomprehensivewaythusbeingavaluablesourceforthenext3–5years.Italsodiscusses newdiscoveriesandapplications.Specialvolumesareeditedbywellknownguesteditorswhoinvite reputedauthorsforthereviewarticlesintheirvolumes. In references Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnologyis abbeviated Adv Biochem En- gin/Biotechnolandiscitedasajournal. SpringerWWWhomepage:springer.com VisittheABEcontentatspringerlink.com LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2007922570 ISSN0724-6145 ISBN978-3-540-71321-0SpringerBerlinHeidelbergNewYork DOI10.1007/978-3-540-71323-4 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.Allrightsarereserved,whetherthewholeorpartofthematerial isconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,broad- casting,reproductiononmicrofilmorinanyotherway,andstorageindatabanks.Duplicationof thispublicationorpartsthereofispermittedonlyundertheprovisionsoftheGermanCopyrightLaw ofSeptember9,1965,initscurrentversion,andpermissionforusemustalwaysbeobtainedfrom Springer.ViolationsareliableforprosecutionundertheGermanCopyrightLaw. 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Coverdesign:WMXDesignGmbH,Heidelberg TypesettingandProduction:LE-TEXJelonek,Schmidt&VöcklerGbR,Leipzig Printedonacid-freepaper 02/3180YL–543210 SeriesEditor Prof.Dr.T.Scheper InstituteofTechnicalChemistry UniversityofHannover Callinstraße3 30167Hannover,Germany [email protected] VolumeEditors Prof.Dr.ArminFiechter PDDr.ChristofSautter InstituteofBiotechnology InstituteofPlantScience, EidgenössischeTechnischeHochschule SwissFederalInstituteofTechnologyZurich ETH-Hönggerberg Universitätsstr.2 8093Zürich,Switzerland 8092Zürich,Switzerland ae.fi[email protected] [email protected] EditorialBoard Prof.Dr.W.Babel Prof.Dr.M.Hoare SectionofEnvironmentalMicrobiology DepartmentofBiochemicalEngineering Leipzig-HalleGmbH UniversityCollegeLondon Permoserstraße15 TorringtonPlace 04318Leipzig,Germany London,WC1E7JE,UK [email protected] [email protected] Prof.Dr.S.-O.Enfors Prof.Dr.I.Endo DepartmentofBiochemistryand SaitamaIndustrialTechnologyCenter Biotechnology 3-12-18,KamiaokiKawaguchi-shi RoyalInstituteofTechnology Saitama,333-0844,Japan Teknikringen34, [email protected] 10044Stockholm,Sweden [email protected] Prof.Dr.A.Fiechter InstituteofBiotechnology EidgenössischeTechnischeHochschule ETH-Hönggerberg 8093Zürich,Switzerland ae.fi[email protected] VI EditorialBoard Prof.Dr.W.-S.Hu Prof.Dr.J.Nielsen ChemicalEngineering CenterforProcessBiotechnology andMaterialsScience TechnicalUniversityofDenmark UniversityofMinnesota Building223 421WashingtonAvenueSE 2800Lyngby,Denmark Minneapolis,MN55455-0132,USA [email protected] [email protected] Prof.Dr.K.Schügerl Prof.Dr.B.Mattiasson InstituteofTechnicalChemistry DepartmentofBiotechnology UniversityofHannover,Callinstraße3 ChemicalCenter,LundUniversity 30167Hannover,Germany P.O.Box124,22100Lund,Sweden [email protected] [email protected] Prof.Dr.U.vonStockar Prof.Dr.H.Sahm LaboratoiredeGénieChimiqueet InstituteofBiotechnolgy Biologique(LGCB),DépartmentdeChimie ForschungszentrumJülichGmbH SwissFederalInstitute 52425Jülich,Germany ofTechnologyLausanne [email protected] 1015Lausanne,Switzerland urs.vonstockar@epfl.ch Prof.Dr.G.Stephanopoulos DepartmentofChemicalEngineering Prof.Dr.C.Wandrey MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology InstituteofBiotechnology Cambridge,MA02139-4307,USA ForschungszentrumJülichGmbH [email protected] 52425Jülich,Germany [email protected] Prof.Dr.G.T.Tsao ProfessorEmeritus PurdueUniversity WestLafayette,IN47907,USA [email protected] [email protected] Prof.Dr.J.-J.Zhong Bio-Building#3-311 CollegeofLifeScience&Biotechnology KeyLaboratoryofMicrobialMetabolism, MinistryofEducation ShanghaiJiaoTongUniversity 800Dong-ChuanRoad Minhang,Shanghai200240,China [email protected] AdvancesinBiochemicalEngineering/Biotechnology AlsoAvailableElectronically For all customers who have a standing order to Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology, we offerthe electronic version via SpringerLink freeofcharge.Pleasecontactyourlibrarianwhocanreceiveapasswordorfree accesstothefullarticlesbyregisteringat: springerlink.com Ifyoudonothaveasubscription,youcanstillviewthetablesofcontentsofthe volumesandtheabstractofeacharticlebygoingtotheSpringerLinkHome- page,clickingon“BrowsebyOnlineLibraries”,then“ChemicalSciences”,and finallychooseAdvancesinBiochemicalEngineering/Biotechnology. 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Preface Greengenetechnology(GGT),understoodasapartofmodernbiotechnology, has been on a steady, triumphal progression over the last ten years (ISAAA 2007,seethecontributionbyEinseleinthisissue).Thisvolume,jointlyedited byProf.Fiechterandme,dealswithsomeactualscientificandsocio-economic aspects with regard to genetically modified plants (GMP). Worldwide more than 100 million hectares of agronomicalland are covered by GMP. This in- cludes some prominent industrialised Western countries like the USA and Canada,aseriesofthresholdcountrieslikeArgentina,Brazil,IndiaandChina, andanumber ofdeveloping countries. Clearly, someofthesecountrieshave todealwithcropplantproductionandhumannutritioninaverypragmatic waysince,forexample, Indiahastofeedabouta1/5oftheworldpopulation on about 3% of the arable land. In contrast, the situation in Europe appears verydifferent. Foodsupply ismorethansufficient andcomparablyinexpen- sive. This surplus of food is on one hand convenient, since starvation has beenlargelyunknowninEuropeforabout50years,withonlycomparatively fewexceptionsofsociallyperipheralindividuals. Ontheotherhanditmakes thepopulationcarelessaboutthefuturefoodsupply.Evenbeyondmerefood supply,Europegaineditsculturalvaluesfromitsagriculturalsuccessoverthe centuries.Asinglefarmerbecameabletofeedmoreandmorepeoplemaking themfreetoworkoutsideofagricultureasacraftsman,artist,poet,scientist, engineer,mayor,administrativeofficial,priest,philosopher,orsoldier–togive onlyafewexamples.Inthepublicperceptionthisconnectionbetweenagron- omyandculturalwelfareisnotsufficientlyappreciatedinEurope.Switzerland, geographicallyin the centre ofEurope (although not a member of the polit- ical union) has the same cultural tradition, only somewhat shifted towards themoreconservativemoodcommontomountainpopulations.Insummary, amajorityofEuropeans,andtheSwisspopulationinparticular,arereluctant tonewmethodsinagronomy. Switzerlandisprobablytheonlycountryworldwidethathasamoratorium onthecommercialgrowthofgeneticallymodifiedplantsinitsconstitution.In contrast,themoratoriumforGMPintheEuropeanUnionbetween 1999and 2004 was not legally binding. In Switzerland it was thepopulation itself that establishedthismoratoriumintofundamentallawbymeansofareferendum. Moreover,allSwisslegislationaboutgenetechnology,theso-called“Genlex”, X Preface is probably the strongest law in place that attempts to prevent the abuse of genetechnologyworldwide.Thisincludes,forexample,protectingthedignity of organisms. We are not aware of any other country in the world that has extendedthetermdignityoforganismstoplantsatthelevelofmakingitlaw orthathasincludedthisextensioninitsreleaseordinance,whichalsoregulates fieldexperimentswithGMP.Dignityofplantsisparticularlydifficulttodeter- mine,sincemostofthecategoriesknownfromdignityofanimals,likenatural behaviour or sexual propagation, are not applicable to crop plants, which havebeenbredtoexhibitveryunnaturalbehaviour.Potatoes,forexample,are mostlypollensterile,oftenseedsterile,andhavebeenartificiallyselectedfor lossoftheiralkaloidsinthetuber,whichmakesthemaneasyvictimtomany predators or pathogens. This exposure to its enemies would be a clear con- tradictiontoanimal dignity.Howeversince we havelittleimagination about aplant’s“wellbeing”,evenethicalexpertspubliclyconveyasomewhathelpless impressionwiththisissue. Thisparticularlystrongpositionofthegenetechnologylegislation,guided by the public mood against gene technology is remarkable in Switzerland, sincethiscountryowesaconsiderable partofitswealthtothechemicaland pharmaceutical industries, which depend largely on biotechnology in their moderndevelopment.IndustryresearchanddevelopmentsdealingwithGGT has consequently moved out. The research at the famous industry-owned Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel is no longer engaged in plant research and the large rice genome project of Syngenta in Stein was first moved to EnglandandthentotheUS.Highregulationhurdlesforasmallcountrymake itveryunattractivetoinvestinderegulationforanagronomicareathatistoo small to get back the investment by selling seeds. With less than 100000ha, thelargestcropareainSwitzerlandismaize,ofwhichonlyasmallproportion couldbeGMmaize.Onlyanon-profitinstitutionwouldbeabletoderegulate aGMcropplant.Buttheonlybiotechnologygroupatafederalresearchstation thatcouldhavebroughtaGMlinetomarketwascloseddownin2005. IncontrasttothisbarrenlandwithregardtotheapplicationofGGT,more than80basicresearchprojectswithGGTareongoinginSwisspublicresearch institutions, the universities and the federal research institutes (Farinata- Kramer2005,http://www.forschung-leben.ch/download/BioFokus70.pdf).This is a remarkable number for such a small country. Swiss plant scientists are prominentauthorsintop-rankinginternationalresearchjournals.Theprojects rangefromverybasicresearchlikechromatinstructureandfunctiontofields withanapparentapplicationperspectivelikediseaseresistanceincropplants. A small-scale field test should always be made as the last step for proof of concept at the end of such basic research projects with application perspec- tive. Field tests in Switzerland are officially possible in spite of the morato- rium,whichconcernsonlycommercialapplication.Howeverthehurdletoget a permit is very high. There have only ever been three field tests with GMP inSwitzerlandandonlyonesince1992.Ittookanunaffordable4yearstoget
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