Amid the GMO debate, one researcher is striving to use genetic modification to not just improve crop health, but potentially save consumer lives. Aspergillus, which creates carcinogenic aflatoxin, can now be controlled through genetic modification.
Aflatoxins are found in corn, peanuts, cottonseed, milk, walnuts, pistachios and Brazil nuts. In the U.S. farmers can be turned away for having as few as 20 parts per billion (ppb) of the toxin, or about 40 highly contaminated kernels in a bushel of corn, according to the University of Kentucky. One part per billion is the equivalent of one second in 32 years—it doesn’t take much to be turned away.
“This [new GMO corn] will make a difference in the U.S., but will make the biggest difference in the undeveloped world,” says Monica Schmidt, University of Arizona researcher. “There they don’t test corn [for aflatoxins] and about 4.5 billion people consume the toxin.”
People in undeveloped countries are 16 to 32 times more likely to develop cancer, namely liver cancer, she adds. In addition aflatoxins can stunt children’s growth and damage immune systems. The new GMO corn shuts the toxin down and doesn’t allow it to accumulate in the corn kernel.
Using RNAI technology, Schmidt and her team silence the aflatoxin genes in aspergillus fungi in only the corn’s kernels. The ear could still show the greenish, powdery fungal spores on the surface, however, aflatoxin should not enter the kernels.
| Aspergillus fungal infections create aflatoxins. As few as 20 parts per billion, or 40 infected kernels per bushel, are unacceptable for sale.
|
“We’re looking forward to field testing,” Schmidt says. “For the past year and a half we’ve tested with controls from 1,000 ppb to 100,000 ppb in greenhouses.”
The next steps for this potential product are somewhat tricky. The team in Arizona can keep testing on a small scale, but if they ever want to see results on a large number of acres, or see this product commercialized, they’ll have to partner with someone who has deep pockets. Because this is a GMO product there are a number of regulatory hurdles in which the product must leap, and that takes time and millions of dollars.
“We’re seeking partners now,” Schmidt says. “If the regulatory pathway stays the same as it is now and funding becomes available we could realistically see this in corn in 10 to 20 years.”
It’s easy to get this gene into existing or new products—it’s a single insertion, she adds. So if and when the product does get approved it’ll be simple for U.S. and foreign corn hybrids to take advantage of the trait.
While this product can have positive financial impact in the U.S., Schmidt is most excited for what it will do in undeveloped countries. “It can save lives, I’d love to see it go to Africa,” she says.
