British researchers say they’ve developed a new genetically modified
strain of rice that could solve a major health problem in the developing world.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Transcript
British researchers say they’ve developed a new genetically modified strain of rice that could
solve a major health problem in the developing world. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester
Graham reports:
Six years ago, Swiss researcher Ingo Potrykus announced he’d designed a “golden rice” that had been
genetically mainpulated to increase iron and beta carotene.
Beta Carotene is rich in vitamin A, which could help reduce childhood blindness in developing
countries. But in the field, the golden rice didn’t produce adequate levels of Beta Carotene.
Now British scientists at the company Syngenta report in the journal Nature Biotechnology they’ve
developed a genetically modified strain that does contain enough Beta Carotene.
When the first ‘golden rice’ was announced, the biotechnology industry used it in a public
relations campaign on TV. When the first strain didn’t live up to the promise, the campaign was
quietly removed. The original ‘golden rice’ was to be given to farmers in developing countries for
free. Syngenta’s website does not indicate whether it will give away its strain of rice.
For the GLRC, this is Lester Graham.