Vaccine in Corn:
Get the Flu Vaccine in an Ear of Corn
Future Foods: Genetically Modified, and Vaccine Loaded?
by Josh Day
A research team from Iowa State University is manipulating the genes of corn to introduce the flu vaccine.
Yes, that's right. Scientists are not only modifying the genes of corn -- which is used in everything from animal feed to sweetener -- but are running experiments with a possible goal of stealthily vaccinating animal and human populations by holding their consumption of a major food staple hostage.
Like fluoride in your municipal water supply, what if the government allows the genetically modified food industry to load your food with hosts of vaccines and who knows what else?
Right now this research team is honing in on swine flu.
Meatpoultry.com reports:
"We're trying to figure out which genes from the swine influenza virus to incorporate into corn so those genes, when expressed, would produce protein," said Hank Harris, professor in animal science and one of the researchers on the project. "When the pig consumes that corn, it would serve as a vaccine."
... According to the researchers, the corn vaccine would also work in humans when they eat corn or even corn flakes, corn chips, tortillas or anything that contains corn, Mr. Harris said. (Bryan Salvage, meatpoultry.com)
No mention in the brief article from the scientists about the ethics of this endeavor. Nor no mention of how such a program would totally violate patient consent, nor how this new corn would be labeled and presented to the public, or if it would even be differentiated from non-vaccinated, non-genetically modified corn at all.
If the research goes well, the corn vaccine may be possible in five to seven years. In the meantime, the team is trying to expedite the process. (Bryan Salvage, meatpoultry.com)
Another study was conducted on potatoes with the hepatitis B vaccine.
The year: 2005.
The target: third world countries.
An article from New Scientist reports:
Genetically engineered potatoes containing a hepatitis B vaccine have successfully boosted immunity in their first human trials.
But the newly-published study missed a moving target - drug developers are now abandoning their quest for vaccines contained in staple foods like bananas, tomatoes or potatoes.
The hope was that the altered foods would provide a cheap source of vaccines that could be grown and administered in poorer countries without the need for costly refrigeration or needle injections. However, developers have changed tack to avoid any possibility of vaccine-laden food straying into shops or markets. If this occurred, it could be unwittingly eaten by consumers, with unpredictable results.
Instead, developers are now focusing on making vaccines in the safely edible leaves of plants not on sale as food.
"We've not worked with potatoes for two years now," says Charles Arntzen at Arizona State University in Tempe, US, who led the potato study and is a veteran of the decade-long bid to produce GM vaccines in foods. "We don't say 'edible' vaccine any more - we say 'heat-stable oral vaccines'." (Andy Coghlan, New Scientist)
Interesting that this Iowa research group changed directions from the past potato study and is focusing on corn opposed to other vegetable matter not usually commercially available for consumption.
As of May 2009 in the United States, there is a controversial "food safety" bill being prepped for congress. H.R. 875, dubbed the Food Safety Modernization Act, is written in vague language that, according to opponents, could potentially crush small, local, and family-owned farms, as well as organic farming, which would not grow the genetically modified as well as vaccine-loaded corn.
Works cited:
Salvage, Bryan. Humans, Hogs May Eat Their Way to Flu Resistance.
http://www.meatpoultry.com/news/weekly_enews.asp?
ArticleID=102157&e=arogers@motherearthnews.comCoghlan, Andy. Potato Based Vaccine Comes to Late. http://www.newscientist.com/article/
dn7006-potatobased-vaccine-success-comes-too-late.html
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