May 23, 2000 / Reuters / Alice Ratcliffe
BASEL, Switzerland -- Novartis Seeds AG was cited as saying on Tuesday it had developed a new "genetic marker" and called it a breakthrough that could boost sales and influence the debate over genetically-modified (GM) food crops.
The story says that the trademark technology, called Positech, is being tested on maize, wheat, barley, sugar beet and vegetables.
The story explainted that markers are used to identify the handful of cells which are successfully modified during the procedure to create a GM product.
The markers let the altered cells be picked out from what could be millions of other cells which were not changed.
Novartis was quoted as saying that, "While we stand by the safety of other marker genes that are used in genetically modified crops, Novartis is committed to phasing out their use in favour of Positech wherever this is technically feasible."
The story goes on to say that the latest technology was developed from rights acquired several years ago from Danish-based Danisco, Europe's fourth-biggest sugar producer.
Positech-treated cells gain the ability to manufacture the enzyme phosphomannose isomerase (PMI).
In the selection process to isolate gene-altered cells, those which take on the PMI trait can survive in a culture where they are "fed" only mannose, a type of sugar, thus making them easy to separate from cells which do not survive. The name "Positech" is derived from this positive selection process.
By contrast, antiobiotic or herbicide resistance markers give altered cells the ability to live in cultures with these substances which kill off non-modified cells.
Novartis officials were cited as saying that more than 10 other companies so far have commercial licences for PMI, though no products are yet approved.
These products could eventually compete with Novartis's own. Novartis also will make the technology free for subsistance farmers in developing countries.
Wallace Beversdorf, head of research and development for Novartis Seeds, was cited as decling to say how soon Novartis could market PMI products, as this depended on regulatory approval but testing is already advanced and regulatory submissions could start in 12 to 18 months, adding, "I think we will have regulatory packages containing PMI, fully developed for going into lead markets, probably within 12 to 18 months. So Positech is well along on the development path."
The new process will also allow Novartis to bring more genetically modified traits into important crops.
Beversdorf was further quoted as saying "It adds a tool to the tool kit," stating that Novartis was pulling in around 12 traits with the new marker, including resistance to disease, mycotoxin (fungi) avoidance as well as nutritional traits.
The most widely used GM maize is tagged "Bt" after a protein it produces which is toxic to corn borers.
Novartis says the chance of the antibiotic resistance trait jumping the biological fence from plants to bacteria--with implications of creating a strain of super-bacteria able to resist antibiotics--is virtually nil.
Beversdorf added that consumer concerns must be taken into account, stating, "While it is not a technical risk, it certainly is a commercial risk ... if customers are frightened of something, it is risky for a producer to produce it, and it is risker for us to sell it."
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