GM Mosquito Trials Raise Concern in India

August 7, 2009

GM Mosquito Trials Raise Concern in India Source: News IndiaAuthor:K. S. Jayaraman Oxford Insect Technology (Oxitec) Ltd. of the U.K. is hoping to soon begin

experiments on African-adapted genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes at a

facility outside of Chennai, India, but this article says the prospect has

some people concerned. According to Oxitec, the company's patented

genetic technology allows the generation of populations of sterile male

mosquitoes. Releasing them into the wild in Africa would result in large

numbers of infertile matings, ultimately reducing the size of overall

mosquito populations, Oxitec hopes. The ultimate goal would be to control

dengue fever, which is spread by mosquitoes. Last year, Oxitec received

permission from the Indian Department of Biotechnology's Review

Committee for Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) to import its GM mosquito eggs. "We are [now] waiting to hear formally from RCGM before we can start

the experiments," says Sridhar Vasan, Oxitec's head of public

health. "Our longer-term goal would be to move to field

trials," if breeding and mating trials in a contained facility show

promise, Vasan says. But Pushpa Bhargava, a prominent biologist who was

appointed by India's Supreme Court to serve on the country's

Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), says he is worried about

having the experiments take place when India lacks specific government

guidelines on GM insect research. Bhargava adds that it will be

disastrous if some of the released sterile male mosquitoes were able to

"get back" their fertility as a result of random gene mutations.

"[The] probability of such an accident cannot be dismissed when

millions of GM mosquitoes are released day after day or week after

week," Bhargava says. The article can be viewed online at the link

below. http://in.news./43/20090723/860/ttc-gm-mosquito-trials-raise-concern-in.html "Itis clear....that the government's immunization policies are driven bypolitics and not by science. I can give numerous examples whereemployees of the US Public Health Service....appear to be furtheringtheir careers by acting as propaganda officers to support politicalagendas. In one case....employees of a foreign government, who werefunded and working closely with the US Public Health Service, submittedfalse data to a major medical journal. The true data indicated thevaccine was dangerous; however, the false data" indicated no risk. - October 1999, Dr. Bart Classen, founder and CEO of Classen

Immunotherapies as told to Congress.

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