Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Monitor
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OCCASION This publication has been made available to the public on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. DISCLAIMER This document has been produced without formal United Nations editing. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or its economic system or degree of development. Designations such as “developed”, “industrialized” and “developing” are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgment about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. Mention of firm names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement by UNIDO. FAIR USE POLICY Any part of this publication may be quoted and referenced for educational and research purposes without additional permission from UNIDO. However, those who make use of quoting and referencing this publication are requested to follow the Fair Use Policy of giving due credit to UNIDO. CONTACT Please contact [email protected] for further information concerning UNIDO publications. For more information about UNIDO, please visit us at www.unido.org UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 300, 1400 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 26026-0 · www.unido.org · [email protected] /'°""'""'~~~'Y7"'1~:~;~,i'.·~~~~1 ;~ I . ~ '''•',: •.:..... Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Monitor . ~. ' ,! .J, • , -; May l '.)91 :r.:::i. 1'hi~: i;,011c r.i.rri~~ '.l. '-P'!~i'.'..l i.r~icl<? on ·1accin'! ;:iot'!n":r ~n! ~t1h!!ity: tr~n1;. in tc~hnoloeic'.l.l 1cvclopm~n~~, b-1 ::r-'.":. ';.i.rol:rn J, D0::il, Ji ~'!:ir!r'\ :r. !/<?rm"l. a.nrl Jhup~n·!r1. P. D0ctor. This publication is distributed free of charge - i - CONTENTS ~ A. POLICY, NEVS AM> OTHER EYElfTS B. COUNTRY NEWS 15 !It iftd otfler orqpizations• news 15 Enviro11111ental resource lllClnagement: Australian medical discovery 15 educating the business leaders of t0110rrow 15 Priorities for UNEP/IEO Cleaner Production Network law to boost R&D 15 FAO proposes "new" plan for Africa EthiODii 15 ICGEB news 2 Fanners conserve seeds in Ethiopia 15 Conference on genetically 1110dified organis111s for the 1990s 2 15 Practical course on genetically 1110dified organis111s 2 BST ban could be extended by European The virology group at ICGEB 3 COIM!ission 15 The hepatitis B progranne J Political hostility is hitting EC The enteric Non-A, biotechnology R&D 16 Non-B hepatitis progr...-e 4 Biotechnology of mining - 16 bacterial leaching of 111inerals in Chile 4 Foetal cell transplants 16 GenOlle a la carte 16 6 Biotechnology sets the pace in Europe 17 EC biotechnology laws are confusing, says CHIC 6 17 Ger.nan regulatory mechanis111s 6 Gennany passes Gene Law 17 1 Genetic projects given go ahead 17 New genetic engineering progranne Conventio~ breaks down over adopted 17 crotecting gene pool 1 European industry pools resources 18 for connon views 1 3iotechnology and biodiversity 1 Biotechnology laboratory network Ecologically oriented growth for planned 18 the third world 8 Aphrodisical food for exuberant Africa needs science, not just s i 1 kwonns 113 technology 8 AIDS vaccine tests "111ore ugent" than 18 HIV research 9 Third world AIDS progranne short Joint 111arine biotechnology projects 18 on funds 9 Research project on gen9111e structure ATCC releases two polyclonal of crops 19 antisera and offers new S.ccharOllJces cerevisiae strains 10 19 GenOllle data ba~e goes on-line 10 Gene machine could speed up human Seed conservation at COlllllunity level 19 genome project 10 France boosts human genome research 10 ~thtrllftds 19 Genome project t~ tackle 111ass scretning !I first European experiment in human Concern over lllalllllalian cell gene therapy 11 r.ontamination 19 First-ever human gene-thfrapy sunnounts regulatory obstacle course I( 19 "ONA fingerprinting" standards needed n Biotransformation Club ar.tivities An etnhry~nic cure for 1990-1991 11 Pharmaceutical industries: changes in 20 the decade ahead n Biohazard testing becomes an Key project renews hope for Brazil's increa~ingly important poorest 20 indu~try in the 1990s ,n Data base for plant sper.ies 20 International course for food Cataly•ic r.ash input 20 fermentation technqlogy '14 Sun111ary of UNEP/HSON Workshop on 71 an Infol"ll!ation Resource for the Release of Organisms into ~he Biotech promising 21 Environmet;it ,M Bi ot.ech drug approved 21 - ii - CONTENTS (continued) ~ ~ AIDS research 21 Genentech AIDS vaccine trial 32 BST gets clean bill of he~lth 21 "Cocktail" HIV vaccine possible 32 Calgene asks FDA opinion on Cure for sleeping sickness food gene 21 receive! all-clear 32 Harnessing biotechnology to c. RESEARCH •• 21 i111prove the healing of wounds 33 Res~rch on hum911 genes 21 Septic shock death rate halved 33 British Bio-technology announces Agent alkylates specific DNA segment 21 data on new anti-arthritis Gene assists spread of breast tU110urs 22 drugs 33 "Switching off" cancer cells 22 Antibody-enzyme conjugation kits 34 Isolating the cheiricals that cause AIDS vaccine is candidate for cancer 22 cHnica1s 34 Gene therapy tr treat cancer 22 Possible vaccine for Ly.ie di~ease IL-4 may inhibit organ rejection 23 found 34 Possible new treatiient for auto- Celltech and I~nex announce i11111Une diseases 23 production collaboration 34 Human antibodies cloned in E. coli 23 Elephantiasis worms COIM! out in Ianunex fuses GK-CSF and IL-3 23 the open 35 Cardiologists tourt r-DNA repairs of Invention offers selective the heart 23 i_,notherapy 35 Engineering antibodies 24 Cetus drug fails approval 35 Quick fix found for cystic fibrosis Can yew stunt cancer growth? 36 ger.~ 24 Toadstool trealllent 36 HU1111n deathtraps for 110squitoes 36 Research on ani11tl genes ZS Oncor develops and 11arkets DNA probes 36 I... unex finds HGF gene 25 Bovine growth honnone produced in Livestock pDlica~ 36 silkwonn 25 Pig transplants cure diabetic mice 25 NIAID to test ribozyine gene therapy Proteins strengthen sea urchin to cOlllbat simian AIDS 36 skeletons 26 Scientific support for "11ilk" Deep-sea fishing dries up the hormone rekindles controversy 37 gene pool 26 AQri cu 1 tun1 HD1 i cations 37 Research on plant genes 26 Cell-fusion orange developed 37 Jumping genes confound GerMan ESCAgenetics genetically engineers scientists 26 coffee 37 "Restorer gene" reverses sterility, Fungus defeats ravenous rhinoceros c011pletes r-DNA plant hybridization 27 beetle 37 Foreign ONA inserted into plant Approval given on fungus control :ro chloroplasts 28 Super-nodulation variety of Splice of life for ailing vineyards 28 soybean 38 Novel champignon mushrooms Research on viral genes 28 developed 38 An end to chemical fertilizers? 38 HIV target revealed 28 Insect-killing cotton passes New anti-HIV agent is a diazepinone 2q field tests 38 HIV enters brain cells through surf ace receptor 29 f.JHHLi'lJL {.ood processjnq industries AIDS vaccine "may not work" in Africa 29 uplications 39 General JO Biocatalysts offers enhanced flavour extraction with OEPOL enzyme 39 llP.w t.P.chnique sugge<>ls P.normous Cultured tastes ]9 i nr. n•ases in OllA-sequenci ng speed JO "Killer cheeses" primed to fight Bound abzy!llP.S work in mixed solvents 10 listeria ]9 Drug de! ive1·y 11 Biolumine;cent report.er for (Mf.QLLnd envi rD!W!!tt 1 naphthallnP. ]1 uelications 110 TS ~tructure \ulved 11 ONA photoaffinity lahP.1 found ]1 Arrhaeus Technology Group's "natural" nil clean-up method '10 n. APPLl(A TIONS . 31 Biologiral treatment for non-organic waste '10 Jndv1tI'.'iti1 .. !!liJ; rB.!JllnJ (liniral trial of possible AIOS vaccinP. 31 iJP.Pl ~ ~•l!OM R~hip~ q~in from fa•t AIOS te<>t ]2 Prnqre•• for viru<; va(rine<>' 17 Bacteria heat up enzymes 40 - iii - CONTENTS (continued) ~ PATENTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS Current topics in marine biotechnolGgy 42 Biotechnology application in Europe changes tack on transgenic wastewater treat111ent animals 43 40 Biotechnology: EEC ~olicy on the eve Biogen gets European.a(~;nterferon of 1~93 43 patent 41 PolyCell. Inc. Cll'llpiles bibliography CIFLA resists patent pressure 41 for bispe~ific 110noclonal Genetics Institute Il-3 patent 41 antibodies 43 DNA fingerprinting manual F. BIO-INFORM TICS 43 41 Cambridg~ Research Biochemical;' new 1991 calillogu~ 44 Biohazard testing market to becOllle Iinpact AgBioBusiness 44 increasingly iinportant in the Biotechnology direct?ry goes United States 41 on-line 44 ATCC announces fifth edition of th~ Complex carbohydrates 44 ATCC/NIH Repository Catalogue of Biotechnology patent information H1.1111an and House DNA Probes and 45 Libraries 42 G. SPECIAL ARTICLE Biotechnology in Japan Yearbook 45 1990/l991 42 Vaccine potency and stability: International Biotechnology Directory trends in technological 1991 42 developiaents 45 A. POLICY. NEWS AND OTHER EVENTS countries man3ge these wastes has been set up by IEO alono with the Cle~ner Production netwoTk, which \JN and other onwniations' news incorporates the aims of the Basel Convention but goes further. It emphasizes clean technologies, ~nvir~~~l resource na~ which will eventually 11ini111ize the need to dispose ~business leaders of tQllOrrow of hazardo~s wastes. rifty leading acadt111ic institutiQns, industry The second of IEO's aims is to prevent and environmental e•perts frQlll all over the world industrial accidents and to reduce their impact on ret at the European Institute of Business the env i ro11111ent and ht1111an hea 1th whe11 they do AGministration (INSEAD) in fontainebl2au, France, on occur. To this end UNEP/IEO launched APELl - 11-12 October 1g90, to discuss ways to develop sound Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at local environmental practices of the business leaders of Level - in 1988.