A geneticist advises caution and discussion:

>In my laboratory, transformed honeybees with insecticide resistance
>are the target of current research. The main role of apiculture in
>Japan is pollination. Many strains of honeybee are used as
>pollinators in horticulture, such as strawberry production in
>greenhouses. Therefore one of the most important characteristics
>required in bee breeding is constructing honey-bees strains suitable
>for pollination in green-houses.
>
>Concern should be directed toward risks associated with the release
>of transgenic insects into the field. The fundamental question is
>whether the genetic alteration of insects will modify ecologically
>or environmentally relevant properties of organisms. To address this
>issue, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of US
>Department of Agriculture has summarized the information that should
>be considered in the following points:
>
>1) how the recipient organism was transformed through recombinant
>DNA technology, including characteristics of the donor vectors and
>recipients organisms, and a description of the methods employed,
>
>2) the characteristics of the modified organism, including the
>stability of the new genotype and probability of gene transfer to
>other organisms with resultant consequences,
>
>3) potential impact of the transgenic insect on native populations,
>communities, and ecosystems,
>
>4) methods for evaluating the safety of the transgenic organisms in
>field trials before unrestricted release. As mentioned earlier,
>genetic transformations have been successful in only a handful of
>insects so far. Therefore, no transgenic insects have yet been
>released into the field. However, with the future advancement of
>research in this field, the issues related to risk management will
>become of greater concern.
>
>Conclusion
>The transformation procedures for insects have just been developed
>and we are ready to put those procedures into practical use. Now we,
>as molecular insect biologists, have to reconsider the pros and cons
>of using trans-formed insects. Further, it is equally important to
>discuss those issues with general public as within scientific
>communities.

Excerpts from:
"The Current Status of Transgenic Research Insects"
Kiyoshi Kimura, PhD
National Institute of Animal Industry, Japan

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Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>