GENET news: Animal

26.09.2008

Only limited transgenic cow herds in New Zealand

Dairy farmers were unlikely to run herds of hundreds of transgenic cows, as small numbers would supply most of the genetically modified material required by pharmaceutical companies, AgResearch said this week. At a media day at its Ruakura campus, near Hamilton, AgResearch manager of applied biotechnology Jimmy Suttie said its initial focus was the production of transgenic proteins for health supplements or to treat sick people, but it was keeping future options open. Herds of 40 or 50 cows could supply enough protein for those markets and farms were likely to also need some form of milk processing capacity so the only transgenic product leaving a farm would be milk powder or something similar.

25.09.2008

EU Bio Directive fails to unify European law

Inconsistent implementation and interpretation of the Biotech Directive by different member states might affect the outcome of future litigation relating to biotech patents. The choice of jurisdiction could, therefore, be key to the success of an action brought in Europe under a biotechnology patent. Understanding the nuances of each member state’s laws will also be vital. The decision of the ECJ in the Dutch Monsanto vs. Cefetra case will be interesting, although the questions asked are quite narrow, and the decision is unlikely to resolve all the differences in implementation across member states.

24.09.2008

Kenya a step closer to using GM technology

The Government has taken the first step towards adopting biotechnology in agricultural production by preparing guidelines on how to handle genetically modified applications. [...] ”My desire is for all African countries to adopt an enabling policy for the development and application of biotechnology. This will fast-track the integration of Africa in the global bioeconomy,” said Agriculture minister William Ruto.

19.09.2008

U.S. FDA announces guidelines on GE food animals: Reactions

Jaydee Hanson, Policy Analyst on cloning and genetics for the Center for Food Safety, reacted to the FDA draft of the GE animal approval process, issued by the agency today:
”The FDA draft guidance released this morning would treat genetically engineered animals under its new animal drug provisions. While the new guidance would require a long-overdue mandatory review process, the proposed FDA rules are seriously flawed. ”At a time when the FDA has inadequate resources to protect the food system and is reeling under allegations of conflicts of interest, this new proposal uses a secret approval process wherein no one other than FDA reviewers can see the data submitted before final approval. And, unlike drugs which can be recalled because they are labeled, FDA maintains that genetically engineered animals should not be labeled.

19.09.2008

U.S. FDA assigns priority review to GTC Biotherapeutic’s ATryn

The US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has assigned Priority Review to GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc.’s Biologic License Application, or BLA, for ATryn. Priority Review is granted to applications for products that, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious or life-threatening disease. Under Priority Review, the FDA’s target date for action on the BLA is February 7, 2009.

19.09.2008

New GE animals from New Zeland could cope with climate change

New transgenic pasture varieties developed in New Zealand to help farmers cope with climate change could end up being sold to overseas farmers. AgResearch chief executive Andy West told the Meat Industry Association annual conference his scientists were breeding some exciting new pasture varieties that would cope with a different climate. He could not reveal more details about the varieties’ traits until patents had been secured, but said the chances of the new species being used commercially in New Zealand were remote because of a reluctance to use genetically modified products.

19.09.2008

U.S. FDA plans rules for GE food animals

The Food and Drug Administration released proposed guidelines on how to regulate genetically engineered animals, in a move that is expected to pave the way for them to enter the food supply. The biotech industry has long sought to use such technology on fish, pigs, cattle and other animals to produce ones that grow faster or possess desirable traits, such as high fiber content or resistance to illnesses such as mad-cow disease. According to BIO, a biotechnology trade group, there could be as many as two dozen applications to sell genetically engineered animals already pending before the FDA. One submitted by a Massachusetts developer is for an Atlantic salmon.

12.09.2008

Is the U.K. biotech industry on the skids?

If you listened to certain speakers at the recent ERBI ”Cambridge Biopartnering Exchange,” it would seem as if the glory days of U.K. biotech are over. Only Abcam, a Cambridge-based research antibody supply company, was held up as a example of how U.K. biotechs need to be to survive. So what’s wrong? [...] ”In 2007 and 2008, lots of U.K. biotechs didn’t deliver, and investors did not make a return, so VCs are increasingly moving away from early-stage companies.”

12.09.2008

Lord Winston’s fury as red tape drives British GM pig transplant experiments to the U.S.

A furious Robert Winston has condemned the red tape that has killed off pioneering British experiments that could solve the shortage of transplant organs. The TV presenter and fertility expert has been forced to transfer life-saving research using ’designer pigs’ to America, where regulations are less strict.
The move has robbed Britain of a potential breakthrough that could also have earned it millions of pounds. Lord Winston said: ’Our U.S. friends will benefit from our technology and yet another British innovation will be jeopardized. ’The income we might have generated for Britain will be lost.’

05.09.2008

Deformed GE calves don’t enhance New Zealand’s image

A huge press statement by AgResearch today in which it tries to justify its application to genetically engineer a wide range of animals, plus human and monkey cells, inadvertently shows sad downsides to GE research such as deformed foetuses and calves. ”In its statement today, the Crown research institute makes some outrageous claims as ’facts’ in the 35 questions it asks and answers for itself headed ’Fact or Fiction’,” Greens Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says. ”For example it admits a less than 9 percent live birth rate, aborted deformed foetuses, deformed calves, gangrenous udders and ’animals suffering from respiratory conditions’, but denies there are animal welfare concerns.

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