PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY ISSUES - Preuss Takes Lab-Designed Chromosome from Discovery to Commercial Product Development

ASPB members Daphne Preuss and Mich Hein are working together to translate Preuss' lab-designed, mini-chromosome research findings into a commercially viable technology.

The technology allows scientists to stack multiple genes conferring multiple desirable traits in plants, Preuss explained at a seminar February 5 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Building in Washington, DC.

The seminar was originally scheduled to be held in a U.S. Senate building prior to a temporary closing of the three Senate office buildings because of an attack with a deadly poison, ricin. The seminar was titled "Frontier Plant Biotechnology -- Advancing Crop Productivity and Market Potential".

Preuss said she recognized the exciting benefits plant genome research is offering to enhance crops for better pest resistance, drought and herbicide tolerance leading to increased yields. She said the gene stacking capability of the mini-chromosome technology could allow compiling a series of genes with these and other traits, including enhanced nutritional qualities.

At this same time of tremendous advances in plant genomic research, there is by contrast, a significant time period between lab discovery and development of commercially marketed enhanced plant products, Preuss observed.

The mini-chromosome technology cuts product development time by years, as it requires far fewer generations of plant specimens leading to the marketable product. Preuss is directly shepherding technology development along with Hein, who is Chief Executive Officer of their biotech firm, Chromatin, Inc. The company has an annual budget of about $3.5 million

Hein explained that those considering investing in small biotech companies such as Chromatin have standard questions about its product, including:

    Does it work?
    Do you own it?
    Will anyone buy it?
    Will they let you grow it? -- (regulatory approval)

Hein noted that these questions need to be answered satisfactorily by biotech start-ups to attract investments. He added that small plant biotech companies face challenges such as the existence of only a small number of large companies to which a product can be marketed. In addition, regulatory expertise resides to a greater extent with large, multi-national companies.

ASPB member Tony Cavalieri, who had served as Vice President & Director, Trait & Technology Development for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, provided the perspective of a large company representative during the seminar.

Commercialization of these technologies is occurring in developed world nations, Cavalieri noted. He said some obstacles would need to be overcome before the technologies become widely available in the developing world. The United States has a thorough patenting program allowing companies to protect innovations, Cavalieri said. By comparison, companies have tended not to patent these technologies in developing countries. He said there is a question for some developing nations as to whether they have the technological expertise to have a necessary regulatory framework in place.

Preuss noted in the question and answer period that organic farming is not meeting the needs of many people in Africa. She said that if you can improve crop yields in Africa through use of new technologies for enhanced crops -- it improves lives.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies and Howard Hughes Medical Institute sponsored the seminar. ASPB staff attended the program along with representatives from other associations, government agencies and other entities.

The Chicago Tribune published an article February 3, 2004 on Preuss' research and on the "upstart Chicago biotech firm" she has initiated with Hein. The headline on the story is "Easing process of gene-altering seeds -- Chromosome Firm Looks for Partners".