Frequently Asked Questions
Submitted by odvodca on Tue, 2009-05-26 12:24
Can Biotechnology Create Products That Can Cause Allergies?

Before any genetically modified microorganism or plant is approved by Health Canada as a safe food, it must undergo a thorough assessment including an explicit consideration of potential allergenicity of the novel food. The potential for allergenic responses to the product would be considered by looking at the history of both the host and donor organisms and the modification that has been undertaken, data which is supplied by the developer of the product. Health Canada would require clear labelling if there was any health or safety concern related to allergies.

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Can We Create "Super Weeds" Through Cross Pollination?

There have been claims that transfer of traits such as herbicide tolerance from plants produced through biotechnology to weeds could create "superweeds" that are harder to control or are more invasive. However, the term "superweed" is misleading, because it does not mean that the weed is a bigger pest, just that it has acquired a tolerance to a specific herbicide. The weed could still be controlled using other management practices or alternate herbicides.

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Do Genetically Engineered Plants Create Super Bugs That Are Resistant to Pesticides?

Over time, a pest can overcome any type of control method, and no one control method will completely solve pest problems. Pests have a better chance of becoming resistant to their control agents when there is strong selection pressure. To reduce this selection pressure, actions such as growing plants that do not have the ability to fight off pests right next to plants that do. These plants reduce the selection pressure on the pest and are grown as refuge area for the pests.

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How Are Genetically Modified Foods Found to be Safe? Who Does the Testing?

There is no other technology that is subject to as much review as genetically modified food, and in Canada, four agencies are responsible for its regulation. These agencies include the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, Pest Management Regulatory Agency and Environment Canada. In order for these agencies to approve a genetically modified product, it must first have been shown to be as safe as foods already on the market, and clear labeling would be required if there were any health or safety concerns related to allergies. To date in Canada, 42 genetically modified foods have been approved. In Canada, Health Canada under the Food & Drugs Act is responsible for safety and compositional considerations for foods sold in Canada. In addition, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for inspection and monitoring to ensure registered products continue to meet quality and safety standards after registration. Through the authority of the Food and Drugs Act, Health Canada undertakes safety assessments for novel foods, including genetically engineered foods.

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How Do We Know Medicines Made From Biotechnology Are Safe?

The approval process for biotechnology medicines is both lengthy and expensive. When the company finishes collecting and analyzing the data from the clinical trials, it submits an application to Health Canada for approval. The required data include statistically significant evidence of efficacy from a double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial, safety data from Phase I, II and III clinical trials and post-approval follow up.

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How Do We Know That Biotechnology Derived Products Are Safe?

As with most developed countries, Canadian regulations for the approval of any product that is going to be ingested by humans or used on humans are extremely rigorous. The products of biotechnology are regulated on a case by case basis. The sponsor must provide required data on the safety and in the case of foods, substantial equivalence of the products as specified by government.

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How Does Biomass Affect the Environment/Beneficial to the Environment and What is Bioremediation?

In contrast to burning fossil fuel, which contributes to the "greenhouse" effect and depletes a non-renewable resource, burning new biomass contributes no new carbon dioxide to the atmosphere because if we replant harvested biomass, carbon dioxide is returned to the cycle of new growth. Bioremediation is the natural process of degrading organic materials to carbon dioxide, water and various ions. Naturally occurring microbes have been selectively adapted for their ability to digest specified hydrocarbon contaminants such as oil and gasoline. The result is a product which, when applied to contaminated soil or water, optimizes the environment for bioremediation to take place.

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How Is Biotechnology Affecting Species Diversity?

At present, there is a common opinion within the scientific community that most GMO's are expected to pose minimal ecological risk. It is thought that the introduction of GMO's could provide benefits for biodiversity by being used to treat industrial wastewater and air emissions and to degrade toxic chemicals which could restore habitat for other species. We still need much information for microorganisms and animals on the risks and benefits of GMOÃ??s on biodiversity.

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How is the Industry Addressing Ethical Concerns?

Biotechnology has the potential to save lives and improve the quality of the human condition. Bioalberta and the Alberta Biotechnology industry respects the potential of this promising science to not only improve our lives, but also to demand continuous evaluation of ethical issues that may arise. Discussion of social and ethical implications of biotechnology are a welcome responsibilty. We support the regulatory framework for biotechnology and recognize the need to continuously reevaluate that framework as the science develops. BioAlberta has established an Ethics Committee that will help to establish a set of guideline and policies to guide the industry.

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Is Biotechnology a New Science?

While some areas of biotechnology have come to the forefront of mainstream media recently, biotech is not new in practice. Biotechnology can be thought of as the culmination of over 8000 years of human experience using living organisms, including in the process of fermentation to make products such as bread, cheese, beer and wine.

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What are Biofertilizers?

Biofertilizers are microorganisms, either naturally occurring or genetically modified, that improve the physical condition of soil, aid plant growth or increase crop yield. These may include rhizobia, such as R.meliloti, B.japonicum; free living nitrogen fixing bacteria, such as Bacillus, Pseudomonas; or fungi, such as Penicillium, Glomus spp. By using biofertilizers, farmers can reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers they use. This helps preserve the environment for the generations to come.

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What is Biomass?

Plant matter, whether growing wild or cultivated by man, represents a massive quantity of a renewable resource we call biomass. Carbohydrates that are formed by combining carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the earth are the building blocks of biomass. Biomass represents a useful and valuable resource to humans. The value of the biomass contents is related to the chemical and physical properties of the large molecules of which it is made. Humans have long exploited the solar engery stored in the chemical bonds by burning biomass as fuel and eating plants for the nutritional entergy of their sugar and starch content. More recently, humans have exploited fossilized biomass in the form of coal, and exploited chemically useful biomass constituents in making paper and textiles. Still other chemicals in the form of natural product pharmaceuticals can be recovered. If we burn biomass efficiently, oxygen from the atmosphere combines with the carbon in plants to produce carbon dioxide and water. The process is cyclic because the carbon dioxide is then available to produce new biomass.

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What is Biotechnology?

Biotechnology is a field of science that involves using biological processes to produce products that are beneficial for agriculture, the environment, industry and health. As an area of science, biotechnology is often defined as a combination of advances in our understanding of molecular and cellular biology, plant, animal and human genetics and how the human immune system fights disease.

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What is Cloning?

Cloning is the production of a new organism from an existing one through an asexual process. Genetic material from the original organism is used to create a new organism with the same genetic makeup as the original. Fear about human cloning exists, but cloning has many other potential uses including the production of animals with genetically modified organs that could be safely transplanted into humans; the production of animals carrying human genes for the production of certain proteins that could be used as drugs (the proteins could be extracted from animals' milk); or the perpetuation of endangered species.

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What is Genetic Engineering?

Genetic engineering allows scientists to select genes that produce beneficial traits and move them from one organism to another, which results in the organisms displaying those beneficial traits and improved agricultural production. This translates into more productive crops; crops with resistance to certain pests, fungi, bacteria or viruses; and crops with better quality, just to name a few. In addition, genetic engineering can be used to produce valuable compounds such as vaccines, therapeutic products or nutritional supplements.

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What is the Biosafety Protocol?

Since 1996, a United Nations protocol on Biosafety has been under negotiation to regulate the transboundary movement of Living Modified Organisms (aka Genetically modified organisms). In response to the world communityÃ??s growing commitment to sustainable development, the Convention on Biological Diversity was initiated. This represents a dramatic step forward in the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. To date, no consensus could be reached on some of the key issues of the Protocol, and therefore, the draft Protocol on Biosafety has not been adopted.

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What is the Human Genome Project? What Are Benefits of Genome Research?

The purpose of the Human Genome Project is to sequence the human genome, and identify all of the genes within human DNA. This project was completed in by 2003, and all of the information is being stored in a database that can be accessed by researchers around the world. It is hoped that the project will lead to improved prevention, treatments, and cures for what are currently medical mysteries.

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Who Regulates the Biotech Industry in General?

The biotechnology industry is probably one of the most highly regulated industries in Canada and the US. In January 1993, federal regulatory departments agreed on principles for a more efficient and effective regulatory framework for Canadian biotechnology. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), along with other federal departments, including Environment Canada, Health Canada, Labor Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans, regulate products of biotechnology in order to protect human health, animal health, and the environment. The CFIA focuses its assessments on the characteristics of the final product. The philosophy of the regulatory framework is that genetically engineered organisms are not fundamentally different from traditionally bred organisms and can be assessed using well-defined and understood principles of risk assessment.

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