Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1999

Intellectual Property Rights The team ma y eventuall y a p p ly for p a t e n t s to p r o t e ct t h e i r i n v e n t i o n s . Howe v er Prof . Sun point s out tha t these r i gh t s ma y be better c omp l i e d w i t h i n some countries t han i n others. To a v o i d abuse, some p r o d u c e rs of g e n e t i c a l l y mo d i f i ed f oo d products w i l l take care of the wh o l e p r o d u c t i o n line themselves, f r om research to p l a n t i n g and g r ow i ng. Some choose to h a v e f a r me r s s i g n a contract before going to the fields. Another con t r ove r s i a l a l t e r na t i ve is to p r o d u c e seeds w h i c h w i l l ma k e the p l a nt self- annihilate if harvested a second time. Prof. Sun's t eam w i l l cons i der a ll possible alternatives i n due course. Safety a Top Priority in Research There is a huge resistance i n Europe towards biotechnology and bioengineered foods w i t h many countries bann i ng t he m or requiring labels. According to Prof. Sun, the only k n o w n side-effect of consuming these products so far has been that people w h o are allergic to the Brazil nut ma y also be allergic to soybeans w h e n the latter c o n t a in a p a r t i c u l ar B r a z il n u t gene . However this discovery was made du r i ng laboratory trials b y serum and skin-prick testing. The developmen t of this soybean was ha l t e d and the p r o d u ct wa s never brought to the market. P r o f . S u n p e r s o n a l l y a d v o c a t es labelling as a more immediat e solution, as educating the public about biotechnology w i l l take mu ch time. Howe v er he point s out labelling is no t easy either as tracing the ingredients of food to their origins is a complex task. I n fact his team has been taking every precaution i n ensuring safety and that no freak crops emerge as a result of their experiments. They adhere strictly t o a l l r e g u l a t i o n s set o u t b y t h e University's Safety Committee; the y carry out experiments i n labs and greenhouses w i t h a p p r o v ed b i o l og i c al and ph y s i c al c o n t a i nme n t ; t hey p l a n t e x p e r i me n t al crops on i so l a t ed p l o t s ; t he y use n o n - f l owe r i n g plants, or w r ap the flowers i n p l a s t i c b a gs or p l u c k t h e m b e f o r e po l l i na t i on can take place; the y w i l l also test all new products carefully for toxicity o r a l l e r g e n i c e f f e c t, a n d f o r t h e i r composition and nutritional valu e to make sure that they meet all safety requirements. Aims of the Project The three aims of the project are to produce high-value agricultura l and health products, develop and transfer n ew technologies, an d train biotechnologists and experts i n the field. Apa rt f r om crops, products that w i l l result f r om the project include Toxoplasma g o n d i i P30 surface antigen, h uman granulocyte colony- s t i mu l a t i n g factor, h u m a n e r y t h r o p o i e t i n, ma l a r i a surface an t i gen Flgp42, and fish and sh r imp g r ow t h hormones, all of wh i c h w i l l be of use i n medicine, agriculture, and fishery. Including Prof. Sun, the core of th e team consists of 11 teaching staff f r om the Un i v e r s i t y ' s Depa r tmen t of Biology. Four add i t i onal p l an t scientists are d r awn f r om the Universit y of H o n g Kong, the Ho n g Kong U n i v e r s i t y of Science a n d Te c hno l og y , a n d H o n g K o n g Bap t i s t University. The project is expected t o train over 10 researchers including postdoctoral associates and about 50 M.Phil. and Ph.D. students. • C h i n e s U n i v e r s i t yB u l l e t i n A u t u m n • W i n t e r 1999 22