What’s in a Name?

Rewilding

Use molecular biological techniques

Introduce into plants genes that had been bred out

Speed up the “natural” process of crossing modern plants with ancient ones until they have the gene they want in a crop plant that needs it

Examples: Flood-resistant rice, Rust (fungus)-resistant wheat

Advantages

Restoring long-lost genes (Important!!!: preserve diversity; heirloom varieties, seed banks, etc.)

Only reincorporating genes of interest

Much faster process

Sometimes the only alternative: in polyploid plants (with several genetic complements)

Definition Conundrum

In US and Canada: non-G.M.O. foods are prohibited from having genes that could not have occurred in nature in that plant.

Ergo, adding a gene from an ancient variety of the same plant using precision breeding would be allowed.

In Europe: G.M.O. is defined by the process, not the product.

Ergo, methods of genetic engineering are forbidden, even if the gene that is added is from the same plant.

Biopharming

Definition

Synthesizing plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) out of transgenic field crops

Large-molecule drugs based on proteins (ex. Ebola vaccine, therapies to treat and detect cancer and cardiovascular and infectious diseases)

Ebola Therapeutic Drug ZMapp

Mixture of 3 antibodies

Tobacco plants are infected with genetically engineered viruses (harmless to humans) carrying the genes for the 3 antibodies

Upon infection, the virus produce great amounts of the antibodies

Plants are harvested and the antibodies extracted

Injected into patients

Tried on 18 sick rhesus monkeys: all recovered [Nature (2014)]

Controversial Issues

Contamination of food crops

ZMapp was first tried in tomato; later moved to tobacco

But potentially less costly: once the genetically modified plant is made, all you need is a field to grow it, sun and water

Extraction from biological materials is far less costly than in vitro synthesis

Public Perception

Most Americans are unaware of biopharming

Consumers are generally favorable toward using biotechnology to produce medicines

Less enthusiastic about using transgenic animals to produce medicines than GM plants

Public Concerns

Corporate ownership of genetic

Unforeseen impacts on human health

Environmental consequences

Moral/ethical concerns

Concerns may be offset by perceptions of need or benefit, especially in the context of medical applications

Willingness to Purchase

Purchase groupSupport for technology

TotalYes No

Willing 64.3 2.2 66.5

Reluctant 5.7 1.0 6.7

Unwilling 11.6 15.3 26.9

Total 81.6 18.5

Note. Summary percentages are based on n = 510 observations