Talking Biotech Podcast

Tweet This last week podcast host Kevin Folta found himself in a difficult predicament.  There was palpable outrage by those affiliated with a science website where he participated in some of their activities.  Turns out that Folta also did paid work outside of his university job, which is normal.  He was retained by a law firm as a special matters expert, someone to analyze some data in a private mediation.  He was bound my confidentiality to not discuss the details of the case.  The folks from the science website used public records requests to obtain Folta’s confidential internal university documents requesting permission to perform outside work.  These are forms where universities approve participation in paid activities beyond the normal job description. Those requesting the documents read details about the confidential work, and then posted a damaging website where confidentiality was broken, and Folta was accused of being non-transparent. The instance triggered the need for an important discussion.  Scientists typically have non-disclosure agreements.  Such agreements demand confidentiality.  At the same time, we expect them to be completely transparent. Can we simultaneously honor confidentiality and transparency?   Probably not.  So how can we be trusted communicators in a space where collaborators don’t want their information shared?    This discussion between Drs. Paul Vincelli and Kevin Folta hopefully will seed a much needed conversation.   Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Malaria is a tremendous world health problem, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the developing (and industrialized) world. One of the most effective therapies is derived from a natural compound produced in the plant Artemisia annua.  In this week’s podcast Dr. Ian Graham from the University of York describes the problem of malaria, historical treatments, the use of artemesia and the isolation of artemisinin.  Breeding and engineering of plants and microbes to enhance production is discussed. Link to Prof. Graham’s website.  Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet The chicken is by far the most abundant animal farmed on earth, grown for meat and eggs.  But where did it come from?  What kinds of birds were domesticated?  When?  Where?  What were the traits that came from wild jungle fowl that give us today’s familiar bird?  These questions and more are answered by Dr. Greger Larson from Oxford University.  Dr. Larson combines data from genomics, archaeology, and anthropology to reconstruct the ancient history of various animals, illuminating how they became part of agriculture.  This episode of explores the fascinating history of domestic chickens. Follow Prof Larson:  @Greger_Larson Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Plant disease resistance is a complicated arms race between the plant and pathogens.  Bacteria, viruses and fungi evolve in lock-step with plants, creating new ways to overcome new disease resistance strategies.  Resistance to disease has a foundation in the gene-for-gene model, a model that hypothesizes that plants and pathogens have a molecular relationship with each other that mediates pathogenicity.  Today’s podcast features Drs. Lida Derevnina and Chih-Hang Wu, postdoctoral researchers with Sophien Kamoun (@KamounLab) at the Sainsbury Laboratory (@TheSainsburyLab) in Norwich, England.  They describe the new thinking of disease resistance as a number of complex layers that integrates many gene-for-gene interactions with other mechanisms in mediating plant defense.  Hosted by Paul Vincelli (@pvincell) This is a link to the article in Science. Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Dr. David Just studies human behavior and how psychology ties in with economic decisions.  His work at Cornell examines the interesting overlays that cause consumers to behave how they do.  In this podcast we examine consumer decisions in food, including a discussion about soft drinks, ketchup, meat, and ingredients from genetically engineered crops.  We also touch on the “GMO labeling” issue. Follow Dr. Just:   @DavidJust1 Also follow his podcast discussions at @MadHatEconomics And download here.  Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Alfatoxins are a significant threat to human health and world food security.  They are naturally-occurring toxic compounds produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus and other species.  These fungi thrive on corn, peanuts, wheat, rice and other food staples, and grow well in stored food supplies.  The compounds are potent carcinogens, and it is estimated that billions of people suffer from chronic exposure. Today’s guest is Dr. Peter Ojiambo from North Carolina State University.  He describes the current state of the problem and solutions, ranging from biocontrols, cultural adjustments and even modern biotechnology techniques. Dr. Ojiambo’s website 74 –Safer Foods with RNAi  (beating aflatoxin in maize with HIGS) 104 — Postharvest Solutions in Food Security 114 – Aflatoxin and Groundnut Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet The 2016 World Food Prize went to a group that coordinated the breeding, promotion and distribution of the orange-fleshed sweet potato in Africa.  One of person on the team was economist Dr. Jan Low.  The sweet potato grows well in many parts of Africa.  It is not the sweet potato known to westerners.  It is white and dry, and more like bread than the well known Thanksgiving sweet potato.  At the same time there is widespread vitamin A deficiency, especially among children.  Could the orange sweet potato help solve a critical micronutrient deficiency?  Dr. Low and her team introduced the orange fleshed sweet potato to Africa, breeding them against locally adapted varieties.  The new potatoes were introduced with  marketing campaigns, helping introduce new populations to this novel product.  Soon, the orange fleshed sweet potato was aiding the diet, saving lives, and creating new entrepreneurial opportunities for African farmers and commerce. Follow Mark:   @JanLow1 www.sweetpotatoknowledge.org Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Barley is an important grain, with prominent roles as the foundation of bread and beer.  Dr. Sheila Adimargono shares the interesting stories around barley’s history, the traits that early domesticators found useful, and information about its modern production.  The discussion covers everything from the evidence of barley’s origin to modern genomic analysis. Follow Sheila:   @seminisa Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet When social scientists examined messaging in new media around GE crops, a few trends became apparent.  Surprising evidence emerged that showed that the Russian Federation is actively participating in a campaign, here in the USA, to malign GE crops with a goal of influencing public opinion.  In this week’s episode Dr. Shawn Dorius from Iowa State University talks about the recent findings.  He describes a literal propaganda campaign designed for English-speaking countries. The apparent goal is to erode public trust in American agriculture, and influence opinion away from technology that Russia does not have. Hosted by Paul Vincelli (@pvincell). Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Mark Lynas believed in his heart that he was doing the right thing.  He was joining others in tearing out field trials of GE crops, and effectively arrested research and development around crop biotechnology.  He participated in a movement that significantly shaped public opinion that influences policy to this day. But Mark is a scientific author, and when writing about climate change understood the need for rigorous evaluation of scientific evidence.  When he applied the same thinking to GE crops, it was apparent that he was not following the evidence – and changed his mind.  Mark treats the topic of plant biotech with refreshing nuance, sitting cleanly in the interface of sound science and responsible social application. His book details his journey, and is a refreshing primer for all of us that need to check ourselves for self delusion, and ensure that we are pursuing the truth in our discussions. Follow Mark:   @Mark_Lynas Order Seeds of Science at Amazon Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet The race to determine the structure of DNA has a dark subtext that is frequently ignored when discussing this seminal discovery in biology.  Competing groups at Cambridge and King’s College set their sights on resolving this important question. King’s College recruited a bright young x-ray crystalographer, a scientist that used energy to examine molecular structure. Her name was Dr. Rosalind Franklin.  While teams in this old-boy’s network pushed forward, Franklin used her skills to generate data to answer the question.  Her data would provide the information needed to determine the structure of DNA.  However, she was not credited beyond a tiny footnote, and died at 37 never realizing how her data illuminated the discovery of DNA’s double-helical structure.  The story is told by Dr. Mark Lawler of Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dr. Lawler’s article in The Conversation Dr. Lawler’s accompanying article in The Irish Times Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Mexico is the center of origin for maize, and there is a substantial interest in protecting the genetic integrity of this limited resource.  At the same time Mexico’s population is growing, and farmers potentially find utility in growing genetically-engineered corn, as resistance to insects and lower pesticide use are attractive traits.  There is an intricate balance between feeding a population and ensuring farmer profit versus preservation of a genetic resource. In this week’s podcast Dr. Paul Vincelli (@pvincell) interviews Dr. Sol Ortiz Garcia, the Commission on Biosafety of Genetically Engineered Organisms.  How much GE maize is cultivated in Mexico?  Is it a threat?  Is there evidence of transgene flow from imported feed?  These are important questions, as the topic of genetic integrity of natural populations is a frequent area of discussion and debate. Citations on Transgene Flow: Claudia Colmenarez Ortiz & Sol Ortiz García, 2016. Policies and Regulations in Mexico with Regard to Genetic Technology and Food Security: Country Report: Mexico. Springer International Publishing Switzerland 355. R. Norer (ed.), Genetic Technology and Food Safety, Ius Comparatum – Global Studies in Comparative Law 14, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-23995-8_11. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-23995-8_11 Reynaldo Ariel Álvarez Morales & Sol Ortiz García. 2011. Administrative Systems for Handling Biosafety Issues in Mexico: Emerging Experiences and Lessons Learned. Biosafety Protocol News. 9: 14-15. https://www.cbd.int/doc/newsletters/bpn/bpn-09.pdf Sol Ortiz García.  Biodiversity and International Law in Mexico´s Implementation of the CBD and the Cartagena Protocol in the GMO era: Challenges in Principles, Policies and Practices. Herrera, Juan A., 2010 (Saarbruken, Alemania, VDM) pags.35-84. ISBN 978-3-639-00224-9. Martha G. Rocha Munive, Adriana Otero Arnaiz, Exequiel Ezcurra, Allison A. Snow & Sol Ortiz García. 2008. A recent survey to detect transgenes in local maize varieties in Sierra de Juarez Oaxaca Mexico. Book of abstracts. 1st Global Conference on GMO Analysis. 107. Sol Ortiz-García, Exequiel Ezcurra, Bernd Shoel, Francisca Acevedo, Jorge Soberón & Allison A. Snow. 2006. Transgenic Maize in Mexico. BioScience 56:709. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/56/9/709/262869 Sol Ortiz-García, Exequiel Ezcurra, Bernd Shoel, Francisca Acevedo, Jorge Soberón & Allison A. Snow. 2005. Reply to Cleveland et al.’s “Detecting (trans)gene flow to landraces in centers of crop origin: lessons from the case of maize in Mexico”. Environmental Biosafety Research 4: 209-215. https://www.ebr-journal.org/articles/ebr/abs/2005/04/ebr0605/ebr0605.html Sol Ortiz-García, Exequiel Ezcurra, Bernd Shoel, Francisca Acevedo, Jorge Soberón & Allison A. Snow. 2005. Absence of detectable transgenes in local landraces of maize in Oaxaca, Mexico (2003-2004). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  102: 12338-12343. http://www.pnas.org/content/102/35/12338 Exequiel Ezcurra. Sol Ortiz-García & Jorge Soberón M. 2002. Evidence of gene flow from transgenic maize to local varieties in Mexico. In LMOs and the Environment: Proceedings of an International Conference.

Tweet The internet claims that the increases in celiac disease is rooted in modern wheat varieties, as human intervention in plant genetics must be the cause of human disorders.  But what does the evidence tell us?  In this week’s episode we’re joined by Dr. Senay Simsek from North Dakota State University.  Dr. Simsek is a recognized chemist that specializes in wheat composition. Her recent paper in the journal Food Chemistry examines the levels of gluten in modern varieties and compares it to what was present in heritage varieties.  The results show that associations between modern breeding and gluten sensitivity are not likely due to genetic improvement of wheat varieties. Here is the link to the paper discussed.  This is a link to a related review by Dr. Simsek. And this the review that highlights efforts to reduce allergenicity.    Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Are food labels adding clarity or confusion?  Focus groups show that consumer sentiment toward food labels is changing.  Colleen Parr-Dekker is the Director of Communications at Elanco.  They have performed extensive focus group analysis and consumer surveys to understand how consumers feel about labels and food.  The excess of abstract information and claims has left most consumers unsure what labels even mean.  Consumers are clueless about terms like “antibiotic free” or “free range”, while companies use these tactics as marketing angles to differentiate their products.  Surveys show that terms like “natural” or “organic” are losing influence.  The results are surprising!  Colleen Parr Dekker  – @ColleenParr Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn

Tweet Dr. Devang Mehta has been working in virus suppression in cassava, a key food staple in the Developing world.  In this week’s podcast he speaks about the RNAi and gene editing approaches that are used to engineer resistant plants. Dr. Mehta describes the. nuts and bolts and successes and failures in applying new technology, and the things that are learned along the way.  Hosted by Dr. Paul Vincelli (@pvincell).  Dr. Devang Mehta  – @drdevangm Like the podcast?  Please subscribe and write a review!  Stitcher    iTunes   Player FM  Pod Directory  TuneIn