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Relatedissues:
WhatareGMOs?
GeneticallyModifiedOrganismsReferstotheorganismssuchasyeast,plants,animalsetc
whosegeneshavebeenaltered.
HowareGMOsmade?
Aimistochangethegeneticmakeup.So,itcanbechangedbyinsertingnewgeneormodifying
existingone.
CanbedonebyMakingthecellmembranemoreporousandinsertingnewgeneintocellby
electricshock,genegun,coldtemperatureshocketc
Occursinnaturetoo.
UseofGMOs?
Bettervarietiesofcrops(moreproductivity,shelflife,floodanddroughtresistance)=
GeneticallyModifiedCrops(GMCs)
Ornamentalorganisms(GloFishwasthefirstsuchorganism)
Bettermeat(genescanbestimulatedformoremusclegrowth)
Genetherapy,researchetc
Whyisitinnews?
1.TechnicalExpertCommitteeestablishedbySupremecourtrecommendeda10yrmoratorium
onfieldtrialsofGMCs
2.BRAIBill
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3.MutationbreedingtechnologydevelopedbyBARC
4.Humancloning
5.NextGenerationSequencing
6.GeneTherapy
Explanations:
1.TECsmoratorium:
Thereportcriticizesthestateofregulatoryaffairswithregardtomodernbiotechnology
Moratoriumuntilthereismoredefinitiveinformationfromsufficientnumberofstudiesasto
thelongtermsafetyofBtinfoodcrops
nodesperateshortageoffoodinIndia.ItrecommendedthatthereleaseofGMcropsforwhich
IndiaisacentreoforiginordiversityasinBtbrinjalshouldnotbeallowed.
WhyGMCsshouldbeallowed?
1.GMcropsarealreadywidelyused.Lastyr,12%ofglobalcropareawasgrownwithGE
varietiesofSoyabean,maize,cotton,rapeseed,sugarbeet
2.Overnext50yrs,globaldemandforagriculturalproductsmaydouble.Agriculturalsupply
needstobedoubledwithoutstrainingtheenvironment
3.Agricultureneedstobetreatedasaknowledgedrivenindustry,notjustatraditionalvocation
4.IndiahasbecomeacottonexportingcountryfromcottonimportingonebecauseofBt
Cotton.Yieldsincreasedby25%.Insecticidesprayreducedby50%
5.Chinahas6000PhDsinagribiotechalone.Indiahas8900PhDsinallSciencesput
together.Nofieldtrials>Noclaimsubstantiated.Toomanyhurdlesforscientists:funding,
activists,lossoftrialcrops,nopublications,noproducts
Conclusion:GMCsshouldnotbeconsideredasasubstituteforimprovedagronomyorother
innovations.Butamoratoriumisnottheanswer.GMCsrequiresensibleregulation.
PointsagainstGMCs:
1.GMCshavebothseriousscientificunknownsandlackaclearsocialbenefit,atleastfornow
2.GMisadistractionfrominvestinginrealsolutionsbytryingtoovercometheenvironmentby
usinggenetics
3.HerbicideuseisincreasinginUSsinceitadoptedGMMaize,soybeansandcotton.
InsecticideuseismuchhighinUScomparedtoFrancewhichdoesnotuseGMCs
4.PatentproblemsProcesspatentsmakethecropveryexpensive
5.Underminesbiodiversity
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6.NovalidatedsurveillancetoknowtheeffectofGMCsonhumanhealth
ConclusionGMisnotapermanentsolution.Usetechnologytobettersoilhealth,irrigation.
Organicfarmingisasolutiontoo.
2.BRAIBILL:BiotechnologyRegulatoryAuthorityBill
Status:pendinginLokSabha
Objective:topromotesafeuseofmodernbiotechnologybyenhancingtheeffectivenessand
efficiencyofregulatoryprocedures.
Features:1.TheBillestablishestheBiotechnologyRegulatoryAuthorityofIndia[Authority=
chairperson,twofulltimemembers,andtwoparttimemembers]
2.FunctionsoftheAuthority:regulatingtheresearch,transport,import,containment,
environmentalrelease,manufactureanduseoforganismsandproductsofmodern
biotechnology.TheAuthorityhasthepowertocallforinformation,conductaninquiryand
issuedirectionsforthesafetyofproductsorprocessesofmodernbiotechnology.
3.Authorityspermissionwillberequiredtoconductfieldtrialsforcertainorganismsor
products
4.TheBillwillnotapplytotheclinicaltrialsofdrugs,undertheDrugsandCosmeticsAct,1940,
andfoodorfoodadditivesoranymaterialundertheFoodSafetyandStandardsAct,2006.
5.Statelevelbody:AStateBiotechnologyRegulatoryAdvisoryCommitteewillactasanodal
agencybetweenthestategovernmentandtheAuthoritywithregardtotheregulationofmodern
biotechnology.
6.AppellateTribunal:ABiotechnologyRegulatoryAppellateTribunalwillhearappealsagainst
thedecisions,ordersordirectionsoftheAuthority.HeadedbyretdjudgeofSupremeCourtor
retdChiefJusticeofaHighCourt
7.PenaltiesundertheBill:TheBillimposesapenaltyforprovidingfalseinformationand
conductinganunapprovedfieldtrial
3.MutationBreedingTechnologybyBARC
Background:Mutationingenesoccursinnaturebutitistooslowandrandom.Desired
mutationcanbegeneratedusinggeneticmanipulation.MBTisamethodforthisgenetic
engineering.
MBT:
MBTstartedin1973withTrombayGroundnut(TG1)whichgave1520%higheryieldthan
traditionalvarieties
BARCisnowfocusingonoilseedsandpulsesasIndiaimports40%oilseedsand20%pulses.
4.HumanCloningandIVF(3parent)
AlreadydiscussedbyMrunal:http://mrunal.org/2013/09/sciencetechthehindujunejuly
augpart1of3medicalresearchhealthcarediseaseopvipvcloningthreepersonivf
monocrotophosmiddaymealdeathspioglitazone.html#525
5.NextGenerationSequencing
NGSisamethodtoreadwholegenomesquicklyandcheaply.Mainlychromosomesarelooked
upontocheckforabnormality,diseasessuchascancer,heartdiseaseorAlzheimers
Whyisitinnews:AbabywasborninUSrecentlyaftertheparentsscreenedthegenomesof
embryosusingNGSandchosethehealthiestoneforimplantation.(Firstsuchbaby!)
AdvantagesofNGS:
Preimplantationdiagnosiswillhelpsomanyparentswhocanthaveachild.Itwilldiagnose
possiblediseasesandpreventmiscarriages.[80%ofIVFembryosdontimplantormiscarry]
DisadvantagesofNGS:
ItllusheraneraofDesignerbabies(tolookforspecificbehaviouraltraits,cosmetictraits).
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Ethicalissues!
6.GeneTherapy:
UsinggeneticenggtocurediseasesanddisabilitiesiscalledGenetherapy.Humangenetherapy
hasbeenongoingsince1990,butmostofthatinvolvednonheritablegenes,calledsomatic
(nonsexcell)genetherapy.
3parentIVF(alreadydiscussedbyMrunal)isatypeofgermlinemodification.
WhyGermlinegenetherapyshouldbeallowed?
1.Betterlivesformanywhoarecondemnedtolivewithgeneticdiseases
2.ItllbeconvergenceofNBICnanotechnology,biotechnology,informationtechnologyand
cognitivesciencetoimprovehumanperformance.Welcomedbyscientists.
WhyGermlinegenetherapyshouldnotbeallowed?
1.Problemofdesignerbabies(asinNGS)
2.Anewclassofunderdogsthosewhocannotaffordgenetherapywouldbecreated
3.Unforeseen,deleteriousconsequences:Untilthechildgrows,itllbedifficulttoknowtheexact
results.
bySweetyGupta
References:
1.www.prsindia.org/billtrack
2.http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/acceptexpertpanelreportongmcrops
forum/article4949788.ece
3.http://articles.washingtonpost.com/20130826/national/41447104_1_sevenembryos
daganwellsivf
4.www.gmwatch.org
5.TheHindunewspaper
6.http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article42383.html

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