Giving Consumers the Right to Choose
By Mason MacDonald, Science Journalism Intern
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) often refer exclusively to
those organisms whose genetic material has been altered with recombinant
DNA technology. GMOs are also a subject of much debate as it is
often seen as “meddling” with nature. Despite the controversy,
many crops have been modified in the past and could be found in
your food. While this generally has no serious implications, researchers
like Katherine Rutherford believe that consumers should have the
right to choose whether they want to eat GMOs.
Rutherford is a recent graduate from NSAC who specializes in genetics.
She has worked at the college as a research assistant for the past
three summers under the supervision of Dr. Nancy McLean and Dr.
Ralph Martin on a variety of research projects, her most recent
project focusing on identifying genetically modified seed contamination.
More specifically, Rutherford wanted to determine whether a 1% contamination
level could be identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
in soybeans.
“We chose 1% because countries that are not accepting genetically
modified (GM) materials have begun to realize that it’s almost
impossible to find completely pure non-GM samples. Regulatory Agencies
are starting to lean towards a 1% acceptance level,” Rutherford
explains.
Trying to identify 1% GM contamination using PCR was not an easy
process. Although methodology was available, the DNA extraction
from soybeans was extremely difficult due to high amounts of lipids
and protein in the soybean. As a result, the extraction procedure
took a lot of time to modify. Then, Rutherford still had to obtain
a pure sample, verify that her primers would be able to amplify
the DNA sequences, and then try to identify contamination. However,
the results were not without reward. In the end, Rutherford determined
that, with a 100 mg sample, you could identify 1 contaminated seed
in a group of 100 seeds.
Rutherford’s experiment was partially funded by an Undergraduate
Student Research Award (USRA) from the Natural Science and Engineering
Research Council (NSERC). These awards are available annually to
undergraduates with high academic standing. When asked about NSERC,
Rutherford had a lot of praise for the undergraduate awards program.
“I think it’s really good,” she stated, “I
found out [about NSERC] from a previous student. I think it’s
a really good chance to get into research. I received my award after
my 2nd year, and the improvement in my lab skills from 2nd to 3rd
year was incredible. It was a really good experience and looks good
on a resume.”
Rutherford’s hard work and academic prowess allowed her to
receive her third consecutive award for the summer of 2007 to expand
her studies. The objective of her next experiment is to see whether
she can successfully quantify the contamination in a seed lot rather
than simply identify that a batch is contaminated and to evaluate
substantial equivalence of GM versus non-GM germplasm.
All of this has inspired Rutherford to pursue her Master’s
degree at Nova Scotia Agricultural College, under the supervision
of Drs. Nancy McLean and Berni Benkel. Rutherford wishes to determine
if GM contamination can be identified in a ‘blind’ sample,
that is, a sample where neither the type of seed nor contamination
is known.
Rutherford’s graduate research is funded by the Graduate
Research Training Initiative (GRTI) Scholarship Program under the
federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework (APF),
2003-2008. The APF is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture.
The purpose of this initiative is to provide financial support
to graduate students at the NSAC whose research will benefit the
Nova Scotia agriculture and agri-food industry. This initiative
is intended to encourage qualified students to undertake graduate
studies thus building a professional capacity to meet the future
needs of Nova Scotia's agri-food industry.
It currently looks like GMOs will be part of the future and will
play a role in agriculture, but Rutherford’s beliefs continue
to justify her research.
“If you are able to detect it, then the consumers will keep
the right to choose if they want to consume products that are genetically
modified or not.” – edited by RGS staff.
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