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RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The National Science Foundation has awarded UC Riverside
a $1.5 million grant to research the unintended spread of engineered plant
genes, an issue at the heart of the controversy over genetically modified
foods, August 2004 .


That phenomenon was illustrated recently when engineered genes from corn
grown in the United States strayed into remote fields of corn in Mexico.

UC Riverside?s project is unusual because it will examine both the natural
and the human factors that spread transgenes from engineered crops into
non-engineered crops and natural populations.

?This hasn?t been done before, and I?m excited to get started,? said Norman
Ellstrand, a professor of genetics who is also director of UCR?s
Biotechnology Impacts Center. ?Our project involves social scientists with
diverse expertise ranging from international trade to farmers? decision
making in genuine collaboration with biological scientists who study gene
transfer and the evolution of invasive species.?

The project, which begins Sept. 1, will assemble faculty and graduate
students from botany and plant sciences, economics, sociology, and
statistics into three multidisciplinary teams.

? One group will focus on natural processes that affect dispersal of genes
such as wind, timing of plant flowering, or proximity to compatible wild
relatives.
? A second team will focus on human elements, including farmer management
and transport of seed through local and international trade.
? The third team will employ state-of-the-art mathematical and computational
modeling to estimate the timing and patterns of the spread of transgenes
across space and national borders as well as their ecological consequences.
The result will be the first global model of gene flow that accounts for
both human and natural processes of gene dispersal.

?This is really very exciting,? said Richard Sutch, a distinguished
professor of economics and associate director of the Biotechnology Impacts
Center. ?Everyone talks about the value of interdisciplinary research and of
collaboration between the sciences, but this is one of the few projects that
takes this seriously. And this is such an important topic. Food is a part of
everyone?s life, an important expression of one?s culture. It is not
surprising then that there is a raging debate about genetic engineering that
goes beyond the issues of biological science.?

A third co-investigator, Bai-Lian (Larry) Li, is a mathematical and
theoretical ecologist who is an associate professor of ecology. ?The
coupling of natural and human systems adds an additional layer of complexity
of interactions,? said Li, the founding editor of the international journal
Ecological Complexity ). ?Understanding must come from the examination of
how the two systems operate together.?

Sutch added that an understanding of the subject could provide information
for important public policy decisions. ?We may be able to find ways to
control the unintended migration of transgenes and thereby harness the
benefits of this new technology,? Sutch said. ?Alternatively, we may
discover that the risk cannot be reduced to acceptable levels for certain
combinations of crops and genes.?

Steven Angle, dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences,
stressed the role of UCR?s Biotechnology Impacts Center as ?an honest
broker? in this debate. ?The scientists conducting this research have no
stake in the policy outcomes,? Angle said. They hold no patents on
genetically modified plants. The study will provide solid scientific input
to inform the public and the policy makers at national and international
levels.?

Joel Martin, the interim dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and the
Social Sciences, said he likes the project?s inclusion of several graduate
students who will be intimately involved in the multidisciplinary meetings
of the group, including at least one international conference in Mexico. ?It
is rare for graduate students to have an opportunity to participate in a
multidisciplinary international research project such as this,? said Martin.

The topic of transgene flow is a part of the greater public discussion of
genetic engineering and the world?s food supply. Biotechnology has the
potential of increasing crop yields, lowering production costs, and offering
consumers more choices and higher quality at the supermarket. But certain
risks have been identified, such as the evolution of new weeds because of
contamination with transgenes that make them more difficult to control.

?Recalling genes is more difficult than recalling defective car parts or
contaminated meat,? said Ellstrand. ?Because genes have the opportunity to
multiply themselves. We have to find out how to avoid the problem before it
happens.?

Contacts at University of California, Riverside

Norman Ellstrand, Lead Principal Investigator
Biocomplexity Project
Professor of Genetics
Director, Biotechnology Impacts Center
909-787-4194; norman.ellstrand@ucr.edu

Richard Sutch, Co-Principal Investigator
Biocomplexity Project
Distinguished Professor of Economics
Associate Director, Biotechnology Impacts Center
909-778-9096; richard.sutch@ucr.edu

Bai-Lian (Larry) Li, Co-Principal Investigator
Biocomplexity Project
Professor of Ecology, Botany, and Plant Sciences
909-787-4776; bai-lian.li@ucr.edu

Contacts at National Science Foundation

Thomas Baerwald
Coordinator for Environmental Social and Behavioral Science Activities
Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
703/292-7301; tbaerwal@nsf.gov

BIOTECHNOLOGY IMPACTS CENTER
University of California, Riverside

Background: As a consequence of the genomics revolution, the creation of new
scientific knowledge is occurring at a remarkably fast rate. For wise
stewardship of the technologies resulting from this revolution, it is
imperative for society to assess the possible outcomes, both positive and
negative, of these scientific advances. As decisions are made about the
applications of biotechnologies to agriculture, medicine and the
environment, policy makers and members of the public need to be armed with
sound, science-based information.

Biotechnology holds great promise. The potential of genetically modified
organisms to increase agricultural productivity offers hope for feeding the
Earth?s growing population and raising nutritional intake among those
currently impoverished, as well as potential for improvements in health and
the ability to cure and prevent diseases. But, at the beginning of every
revolution there are concerns that spring from the uncertainty inherent in
any dramatic change.

One of history?s big lessons is that everything in a dynamic world is
interrelated, often in complex ways that are not fully perceived in quiet
times but are dramatically (sometimes tragically) revealed when the system
is disturbed by a sufficiently large shock. It is not surprising then that,
despite the promise of agricultural biotechnology to provide plentiful, more
nutritious and environmentally sustainable food, thoughtful people have
raised serious concerns.

Toward a Solution: The Biotechnology Impacts Center (BIC) is an academic
research unit associated with the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology
at the University of California, Riverside, with a mission to promote
research and education on all aspects of the social, economic, political,
environmental, and ethical consequences of the biotechnology revolution.
Established in 2001, BIC serves as a forum to identify the relevant policy
issues, to act as a clearinghouse for credible information, and to initiate
research that addresses the impacts of biotechnology. The result will be an
informed dialog among public interest groups, the biotechnology industry,
academics, elected officials, and policy makers.

BIC also has an important educational mission to disseminate knowledge and
address concerns about new and emerging developments in biotechnology. At
both the graduate and undergraduate levels, courses will be available in
public policy related to such issues as bioethics, scientific
responsibility, and the controversy surrounding genetically modified
organisms. The Center hopes to provide modest financial and academic support
to graduate students in the humanities, the social sciences, and the life
sciences and seeks to encourage and enrich faculty mentoring of graduate
students. BIC also encourages the creation of hands-on research
opportunities for undergraduate students. Finally, the Center offers a wide
variety of additional support services to faculty, students, and the general
public. These include a visiting speakers? forum, a seminar program, a
web-based working paper series to disseminate pre-publication findings of
ongoing research projects, and conference support.

Leadership: BIC has a dual reporting relationship to both the UCR Institute
for Integrative Genome Biology and the UCR Center for Social and Economic
Policy. This arrangement serves to keep the Center at an objective distance
from the scientific research conducted by the Institute and to recognize the
meaningful contribution that social scientists, humanists, business experts,
educators, and others can make to inform the responsible use of
biotechnology in society.

Related Links:
? UC Riverside Biotechnology Impacts Center The University of California,
Riverside is a major research institution and a national center for the
humanities. Key areas of research include nanotechnology, genomics,
environmental studies, digital arts and sustainable growth and development.
With a current undergraduate and graduate enrollment of nearly 17,000, the
campus is projected to grow to 21,000 students by 2010. Located in the heart
of inland Southern California, the nearly 1,200-acre, park-like campus is at
the center of the region's economic development. Visit [www.ucr.edu]
for more information. Media sources are available at
[www.mediasources.ucr.edu]

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