Genetically Modified Foods In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cereon Genomics is one of several plant genomics labs sprouting up around the world. The technicians there are often working with snippets of plants and producing information on various plants' DNA. By mapping the genetic blueprints of plants, researchers are then able to splice in whatever genes they want to produce the desired results with. Several companies share this vision, notably DuPont and Novartis, and have plowed billions into this dream. If these companies are right, within five years farmers will be planting cotton that is naturally colored to reduce the need for dyeing, as well as crops that harbor plastic. Growers will be able to produce higher-yielding, bug-resistant crops. Consumers will be able to pick up from supermarket shelves healthier and more nutritious foods that come from genetically modified plants. Further in the future, children will be able to get vaccines through the food they eat, negating the terror of needles.
The first genetically modified crops were planted on a large scale in the United States two years ago and have already taken root in the economy. This year, genetically altered planted will make up about 15 percent of the U.S. corn harvest, about 30 percent of soybean crop and more than half of the production of cotton. These first generation plants were created through the relatively simple trick of inserting a gene from a bacterium to produce a single trait; the results of such work include corn and cotton resistant to certain pests, as well as crops that tolerate several types of herbicides.
The real payoff is expected to come over the next several years as plant biologists begin not only to insert more genes into plants but also to redraw the genetic blueprints of many common crops. The vision is to rewire plants into cheap production units that can grow everything from modified foods to human vaccines. According to John Pierce, DuPont's head of discovery research in agriculture, it could mean getting a piece of industrial and food markets worth $500 billion per year. With prospects like that, it is no wonder why there is so much interest from major chemical manufacturers. During the next several years, DuPont expects to begin marketing seeds for modified-oil soybeans as well as high-sucrose soybeans. Working with its partner Pioneer, DuPont has a half-dozen biotech crops nearing commercialization. The future is indeed a bright one in the realm of bioengineering.
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