GM pea causes allergic damage in mice

[Guest guest]

There's an interesting New Scientist article that I highly recommend reading.

<http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8347>

A couple excerpts:

>A decade-long project to develop genetically

>modified peas with built-in pest-resistance has

>been abandoned after tests showed they caused allergic lung damage in mice.

>

>The researchers – at Australia’s national

>research organisation, CSIRO – took the gene for

>a protein capable of killing pea weevil pests

>from the common bean and transferred it into the

>pea. When extracted from the bean, this protein

>does not cause an allergic reaction in mice or people.

>

>But the team found that when the protein is

>expressed in the pea, its structure is subtly

>different to the original in the bean. They

>think this structural change could be to blame

>for the unexpected immune effects seen in mice.

>

>The work underlines the need to evaluate new GM

>crops on a case-by-case basis, says

>of the Australian National University in

>Canberra, who led the immunological work. He

>also calls for improvements in screening

>requirements for genetically engineered plants,

>to ensure comprehensive tests are carried out.

and

>He adds that slight differences in protein

>synthesis might also occur in other plants with

>other genes, meaning each new GM food should be

>very carefully evaluated for potential health

>effects. “If a GM plant is to go up for human

>consumption, there should be a detailed

>descriptive list of how one should go about analysing that plant,” he says.

>

>Tager agrees. It is rare for an investigation of

>the potential health effects of a GM product to

>be published in a peer-reviewed journal, he

>adds. “If it had been a private company doing

>this, it might never have seen the light of day,” he says.

The salient point, I think, is that no feeding

tests are required of any GM product and whatever

internal results corporations develop are almost

never going to see the light of day anyway.

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