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Golden Rice TM - a success story. Vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. Lack of vitamin A is the leading cause of blindness among children in developing countries 250,000 children per year go blind 124 million children worldwide are deficient in vitamin A
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Vitamin A deficiency in developing countries • Lack of vitamin A is the leading cause of blindness among children in developing countries • 250,000 children per year go blind • 124 million children worldwide are deficient in vitamin A • Oral delivery is difficult because of lack of infrastructure
GoldenRice • Rice is a major staple food in Asia • The outer oil-rich, nutritious aleurone layer is usually milled because it turns rancid upon storage in tropical areas • The remaining endosperm lacks provitamin A (b carotene)
The scientific challenge • Immature unengineered rice endosperm makes the carotene precursor, phytoene (colorless) • Remaining enzymes needed for b-carotene synthesis are not expressed • Solution: Add remaining enzymes to endosperm so that b-carotene synthesis can occur
The scientific accomplishment • Ingo Potrykus and colleagues engineered rice to contain genes for three enzymes from daffodil • phytoene desaturase • z-carotene desaturase • lycopene b-cyclase • The resulting rice endosperm can yield 100 mg retinol equivalent / 300 g rice Ye et al. (2000) Science 287: 303-309
The challenge of intellectual property rights • In the process of developing golden rice, between 40 and 70 patented materials or processes were used. • Each owner of the patented materials could claim a right (and ask for monetary compensation) for use in golden rice. • However, all owners of patented and technical properties agreed to license their products for golden rice production for free Potrykus, 2001. Golden rice and beyond. Plant Physiology 125:1157.
What’s next? • Golden rice was developed in a laboratory strain of rice • Next step is to use traditional breeding to introduce the b-carotene production into strains of rice that grow well in developing countries • India • China • Africa • Latin America
Overcoming the GMO opposition • Golden rice fulfills the wishes of the GMO opposition • It was not developed by industry, and industry does not benefit from it • It presents a sustainable, cost-free solution, not requiring other resources • It is given free of charge and it benefits the poor and disadvantaged • It does not create new dependencies on, or advantages for, rich landowners • It can be resown every year from saved seed • It does not reduce agricultural or natural biodiversity • It does not present any negative impact on the environment or risk to human health
