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Subject:
From:
"Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 29 Oct 2000 10:20:52 EST
Content-Type:
text/plain
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Ros,

The following patent is on creating value-added cereal products by inserting
the human genes for lactoferrin, etc.:

" Functional Expression Of Recombinant Human Milk Proteins In Rice: A Novel
Transgenic Nutraceutical.  N. Huang1, J. Huang1, L. Wu1 , S. Nandi1,
G.Bartley1, B. Lonnerdal2 and R. L. Rodriguez1,3. 1Applied Phytologics Inc.,
4110 N. Freeway Blvd. Sacramento CA, 95834, 2Department of Nutrition, UC
Davis, 3Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, U.C. Davis, Davis CA
95616.

The ability to genetically engineer cereal crops such as rice, wheat, corn
and barley provides an unique opportunity to revolutionized the cereal-based
food and feed industries. One of the most exciting of these opportunities is
the use of the transgenic grain as a delivery vehicle for nutritional and
therapeutic proteins. Likely gene targets for testing this approach include
those that act in the human gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this
study was to introduce the disease-fighting and health-promoting genes
encoding human milk proteins into rice plants. The genes for human
lactoferrin, lysozyme, lactoferricin and alpha-1-antitrypsin were
resynthesized to optimize codon preference, subcloned into plant expression
vectors and introduced into rice cells by microprojectile bombardment.
Transformed rice tissues were regenerated into fertile plants and in the case
of the lysozyme and lactoferrin genes, recombinant protein was expressed,
processed and transported to the protein bodies in the maturing rice gains.
Recombinant lysozyme was isolated and purified from mature and immature
transgenic rice grains and shown to possess full bactericidal activity
against Gram positive and Gram negative strains of bacteria. The ability to
express functional human milk proteins in rice opens the possibility for
creating value-added cereal-based ingredients (e.g., flour, germ and bran)
that can be introduced into a wide range of food and feed products."

My comments have nothing to do with a specific Professor.  I don't know what
he meant or believes to be true.  I was just openly speculating on why
suddenly we find that oats is good for mastitis..kinda like DHA is good for
brain growth/eye development.  We genetically engineer a component of
breastmilk and suddenly we need to buy it for ourselves or our children.  I
certainly wouldn't dispute the value of DHA to an infant or an adult or for
that matter I wouldn't dispute the value of oats in a healthy diet.  But I
feel we really need to open our eyes to what is going on in the biotech
industry.  It seems to me that this change that has come over America in
regard to foods that are healthy for you has come with the new explosion of
biotechnology.  So I wonder what it is that has changed?  People's belief
systems?  Or is it a new technology in need of a market?  Much of mastitis
would be prevented by ordinary measures such as keeping mothers and babies
together after birth instead of separations, educating mothers about not
delaying feedings or not weaning (by weaning I mean introducing other liquids
or foods).   Instead we look for magic bullets to prevent something that
could be more readily handled by a change in the policies and practices at
birth.

I agree that he (Lars Hansen) should be invited to an ILCA Conference.
Anyone who has worked in the are of human lactation for that length of time
is a wonderful resource.   Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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