A collaboration is announced today (Tuesday May 16, 2000) that will help fight blindness in developing countries through the use of genetically modified rice. The collaboration will help the inventors of "Golden Rice" to deliver their gift of nutritionally-enhanced rice to the developing nations of the world, bringing closer the health benefits for countries where Vitamin A deficiency is the cause of 500,000 cases of irreversible blindness each year.
The inventors of 'Golden Rice' have reached an agreement with Greenovation and Zeneca, and are working with agencies throughout the world to enable the delivery of this technology free-of-charge for humanitarian purposes in the developing world . This will bring closer the 1982 vision of the Rockefeller Foundation who stimulated and funded this research into rice varieties which might offer global public health benefits.
Dr. Gary Toenniessen, Director for Food Security at the Rockefeller Foundation, endorsed the agreement, saying, "this collaboration will speed the process of conducting all appropriate nutritional and safety testing and obtaining regulatory approvals. The agreement should help assure that 'Golden Rice' reaches those people it can help most as quickly as possible. We look forward to following the progress of this agreement as a possible model for other public-private partnerships designed to benefit poor people in developing countries".
The inventors of 'Golden Rice', Professor Ingo Protrykus and Dr Peter Beyer, will fulfil their commitment to give this technology to resource-poor farmers in developing countries, and contribute to poverty alleviation by increasing nutritional benefit from crops and income generation. They will be supported by Zeneca, which has contributed since 1996 to the EU carotenoid research project of which 'Golden Rice' was a part. Other specialist organisations, in Asia and elsewhere, are being requested to assist in the development and free delivery of "Golden Rice".
Zeneca will explore commercial opportunities for sales of 'Golden Rice' into the growing market for healthy foods. At the same time, Zeneca will provide regulatory, advisory and research expertise to assist in making "Golden Rice" available in developing countries. 'Golden Rice' has the potential to provide massive benefit countering Vitamin A deficiency-related diseases including irreversible blindness.
Dr David Evans, Director of Research and Development at Zeneca, said, "Over the coming years crop biotechnology will offer consumers a range of significant benefits, and will play an important role in meeting the nutritional needs of a growing population. The "Golden Rice" programme has the potential to make a major contribution to the health of many millions in the developing world."
rofessor Ingo Potrykus said, "Zeneca has been involved with carotenoid research for a number of years and have demonstrated an awareness and sensitivity to the needs of impoverished people in the developing world. Zeneca will help us to deliver 'Golden Rice' more speedily to those that need it most."
The collaborators anticipate that "Golden Rice" will not be available for local planting and consumption until 2003 at the earliest.
For Further Information contact:
Greenovation: Sabrina Wagner: Tel: +49 761 203 6988
Fax: +49 761 203 6967
Zeneca:Ian Weatherhead: Tel: +44 1428 657096
Fax: +44 1428 657375
Information for Editors
- "Golden Rice" is a genetically modified rice with high levels of beta-carotene and other carotenoids. These are precursors to Vitamin A which is deficient in the diet of people in highly populated areas of Asia, Africa and Latin America. This agreement facilitates the delivery of a public health programme aimed at countering deficiency diseases associated with Vitamin A, which accounts for irreversible blindness in 500,000 children each year (Source: FAO).
- The inventors of 'Golden Rice' are Professor Ingo Potrykus of the Institute for Plant Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland, and Dr Peter Beyer of the Centre for Applied Biosciences, University of Freiburg, Germany.
- The "Golden Rice" technology was developed with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation (1991-2002), the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (1993-1996), the European Union under a European Community Biotech Programme (FAIR CT96 1633)(1996-2000) and the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science (1996-2000).
- Greenovation (.greenovation.com) was founded in Freiburg, Germany in September 1999. This university spin-off biotechnology company performs and funds research and development in plant biotechnology for agricultural and phytopharmaceutical applications. Agribiotech projects focus on metabolic engineering for increasing nutritional value and on stress tolerance. Greenovation also performs contract research and serves as a platform for development and out-licensing of university research projects to the life science industry.
- The Rockefeller Foundation is a philanthropic foundation (www.rockfound.org) affirming John D. Rockefeller's original mandate "to promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world." The Rockefeller Foundation is a knowledge-based, global foundation with a commitment to enrich and sustain the lives and livelihoods of poor and excluded people throughout the world.
- Zeneca Agrochemicals (http://www.ZenecaAg.com) is the crop protection and plant science business of AstraZeneca. It is the fourth largest supplier to this international market, with sales in 1999 of $2.7 billion in over 130 countries. AstraZeneca (Registered Office, London) is a leading international pharmaceuticals and bioscience group with 1999 pro forma sales of $18.5 billion.
- On 2 December 1999 it was announced by the Board of AstraZeneca PLC that it had agreed with the Board of Novartis AG to demerge and simultaneously merge AstraZeneca's agrochemicals and Novartis' agrochemicals and seeds business to create a new listed company, Syngenta AG. The merger, which is subject to various conditions including competition authority and shareholder approval, is expected to be completed in the second half of 2000.
Copyright 2000 Greenovation All Rights Reserved
Content, unless specifically noted as sourced from Monsanto, is from the source noted and does not necessarily reflect views or positions taken by Monsanto Company.