CONTENTS POLICIES AND REGULATIONS POLICIES & REGULATIONS China Sets Goals for Science and 430 China Set Goals for Science and Technology Technology 430 New Drug Policy Suggested for Indian Pharmaceutical Industry Further to the October announcement of its national goals for agriculture, the Chinese government has set its goals for the science and technology development COMPANY NEWS for the world’s most populous nation. These goals will be part of the Proposal for 431 Canon and Agfa Form Alliance in Formulating the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2001–2005) for National Economic and Medical Imaging Social Development. 432 Australian Cardiac Company Awarded for In the next five years, China will focus on innovation and commercialization Achievements in R&D of scientific discoveries as the main thrust in science and technology (S&T). Ms 432 Dabur Foods to Expand Portfolio Zhu Lilan, the minister for S&T, made the announcement at the closing session of 432 Nycomed Amersham Opens New Plant in Shanghai a three-day national conference on S&T held in Beijing. She also said that 433 NZ Markets Fruit Grading Machine commercialization and practical application of new technologies are important 433 Singapore Company Offers factors in the development of the Chinese economy. Information technology, Outsourcing Services biotechnology, new materials, advanced manufacturing technologies and space technology will be the key areas to invest in. The Chinese government will continue structural reform of the S&T sector in 433 Indian President Calls for Research into order to build up a new system that is compatible with a market economy. It will Traditional Medicines also encourage multi-lateral collaborations with foreign R&D institutions to promote 434 Chinese Medicine is Not Biotech, Says interaction and enhance R&D capabilities of local firms and institutions. HK Academic 434 Eastern Herbal Cures for Asthma The Ministry will speed up the construction of high-tech development parks Disputed and improve on their infrastructure so as to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. The Ministry will cultivate a more conducive environment for high-tech ventures, RESEARCH NEWS particularly start-ups and other small and medium-sized enterprises. 429 Karolinska Institute to Start Research Human resource development is a key area that the Chinese government will Program in Singapore 434 Singapore University Finds Quick Test be building up. The education system would be “modernized” to encourage for Enteroviruses innovation and emphasize applications of R&D. It will continue its present policy 435 China to Invest in Biochip Research of sending Chinese scholars overseas for further study who will later return to 435 China Produces New Anti-AIDS Drug serve in their motherland. More efforts will also be put in to attract experts 435 Blood Clot Cleared with Unique Method and skilled labor from overseas markets to build a strong and vibrant technology 435 Chinese Scientists Develop Method to sector. Reduce Hep B Occurrence in Newborns 436 HK Study Finds New Lupus Treatment Has Lesser Side Effects 436 New Sorghum Variety Released in New Drug Policy Suggested for Indian 436 Korean Scientists Develop GM Rice 437 High Iron Levels “Rust” Blood Vessels Pharmaceutical Industry 437 Takeda Develops More Efficient Method to Detect Endocrine Disrupter The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) has suggested the establishment of 437 Japanese Companies to Jointly Develop a new drug policy which will facilitate the setting up of a development and Genetic Drugs regulatory authority for the pharmaceutical industry. This was mentioned by the general secretary of IPA, Mr. D G Shah, recently. Mr. Shah said that the IPA will GENERAL INFORMATION & STATISTICS be meeting officials from the Ministries of Health, Finance, Commerce and Industry 438 Positive Outlook for NZ’s Agriculture and to accelerate the introduction of the new drug policy. Forestry Sectors In its report on modifications in drug policy to the government, the IPA said 439 Osteoporosis Rate in HK Highest in that a new development and regulatory authority similar to the Telecom Regulatory Asia-Pacific Authority of India and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority would 439 Indian Dairy Board Ventures into Biotech help create convergence for the pharmaceutical industry. This means that the Projects functions of various pharmaceutical authorities could be brought together under 439 HGP More Significant Than Space one agency. Exploration According to industry sources, the current policy framework for pharmaceutical CALENDAR OF EVENTS industries is weak, inadequate and does not cater for recent developments. ese Companies to Jointly Develop tic Drugs

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COMPANY NEWS COMPANY NEWS Canon and Agfa Form Alliance in Medical Imaging Canon Inc. has recently closed a deal to supply digital- Fuji is currently the world leader, taking up to 60 percent radiography system for medicine to Agfa Gevaert NV, the of the market and experiencing a healthy growth rate of largest film maker in Europe. Both companies hope that the 10 percent each year. Canon, on the other hand, has to alliance will break Fuji Photo Film’s dominance in the medical share the rest of the pie with other players. Canon will radiography market. distribute the new product in Japan and hopes to tap Agfa’s Canon Film Medical Co., Canon’s wholly-owned strong sales presence in Europe and US to penetrate the global subsidiary, has developed a new technology for its digital- market. radiography device. A fluorescent substance is used to convert Presently, digital-radiography systems are mostly used in X-rays into light, and the signals are then directed to a flat- larger, more established hospitals. However, as new technology panel sensor. Unlike conventional radiography that uses film, renders the equipment more compact and mobile, the potential Canon’s technology uses digital information which can be for growth is expected to be large as smaller hospitals and easily transmitted and shared by computer networks. even clinics are able install them.

Comparison between Canon Film Medical Co. and Fuji Photo Film’s Radiographic Products Canon Fuji • A fluorescent body is used to convert X-rays into light, • The radiography system uses a laminar fluorescent which is then read by a flat-panel sensor using substance to record X-rays as analog data, which then amorphous silicon. reads that data by applying laser beams to the fluorescent substance. This data is then digitized into images. • Process of photography to image display takes ~3 secs. • Entire process takes over twice as long as Canon’s. • Laser-irradiation unit not required. • The fluorescent substance can be detached from the laser irradiation unit and combined with a compact X- ray irradiator. • Digital images can be shared via computer networks, • Equipment tends to be more bulky and not so mobile. and device may be installed in vehicles, e.g. ambulances.

APBNV4N23 431 11/13/00, 11:22 AM Australian Cardiac Company Dabur Foods to Expand Awarded for Achievements Portfolio in R&D Indian company, Dabur Foods is actively seeking new product opportunities, in order to expand its existing portfoilo. MicroMedical Industries has been awarded special The chief executive officer and director of the company, Mr. recognition by Australia’s Industry Research and Development Amit Burman, said that the company is looking into ethnic Board for its achievements in research and development (R&D) Indian foods to supplement its existing product range. on a range of cardiac e-health devices and their commercial applications. He mentioned that Dabur has initiated a nationwide study to look into the consumer’s preferred choice of foods. The A special mention was made of MicroMedical’s latest study is conducted by an established market research product — an artificial heart — which is touted as the world’s company. From the results of this study, it will decide which most advanced. The VentrAssist artificial heart, which is as products to develop. small as a child’s fist, is made of titanium and has only one moving part. As it has no valves, seals, shafts or bearings, Dabur Foods has been incurring losses for more than serious side effects such as blood damage and clotting can two years. The company is expected to break even this be reduced. It is so small that it can be used in both children year following cost cutting measures and better logistics and adults alike. The product has successfully undergone a management. series of animal trials and human trials are scheduled to start next year. Another feather in MicroMedical’s cap is its Biolog heart Nycomed Amersham Opens monitor, which has been used on board US space shuttles to monitor astronauts’ heart conditions. New Plant in Shanghai “Our products are keenly sought after, particularly in the Shanghai Nycomed Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. — a new United States, Britain and Canada, where several of the world’s pharmaceutical plant — has been established in Shanghai. largest airliners have bought our Biolog heart monitor, which The US$34 million plant is a joint venture among Nycomed also went on board the US space shuttle so NASA could Amersham plc., Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park monitor the astronauts’ ECGs while in space,” revealed Development Co., and Shanghai Huai Hai Pharmaceutical MicroMedical’s CEO, Dr. John Woodard. Factory. The three partners hold 80 percent, 13 percent and Besides these products, the company has developed 7 percent share of the company respectively. communications technology that enables ECGs to be sent The plant, which occupies a total area of 20 000 square from a commercial aircraft to anywhere in the world for meters, is situated in the Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park in the analysis, and a software that allows doctors to download Pudong area. The company has a long term lease on the ECG data to computer, store on disk or e-mail to another premises and there is ample room for expansion in the future. user. It also has 11 innovative products approved by the United Construction of the plant started in 1998 and is expected to States Food and Drug Administration covering defense, home be fully operational by the end of this year. healthcare, aviation, and veterinary fields. A$15 million (US$8.9 million) has been spent so far on R&D and The plant is built according to GMP (Good Manufacturing commercialization efforts. Practice) standards and will manufacture Nycomed Amersham’s non-ionic X-ray contrast agents and other contrast Dr. Woodard also said that negotiations with several media products for the Chinese and other Asia-Pacific markets. potential companies to further capitalize on the benefits of At the same time, Shanghai Nycomed Pharmaceutical will its proprietary technology has begun. obtain a license from Nycomed Pharma — a subsidiary of Nycomed Amersham — to manufacture its calcium tablets. The plant has the capacity of manufacturing 160 million tablets every year. “Another feather in its cap… Amersham Pharmacia Biotech (APBiotech), the life MicroMedical’s Biolog heart monitor sciences arm of Nycomed Amersham, has recently secured a contract with the Beijing Genomics Institute to use its has been used on board NASA space DNA sequencer, MegaBACE, for the rice and pig genome shuttles to monitor astronauts’ heart sequencing projects. APBiotech has announced that it wil be relocating its Chinese operations to the Shanghai plant later conditions…” this year. The company is glad that it is able to contribute towards bringing better healthcare as well as to bring the latest medical science technology to the Chinese.

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APBNV4N23 432 11/13/00, 11:22 AM ASIA-PACIFIC BI TECHNEWS Each partner has invested S$500 000 (US$290 000) NZ Markets Fruit Grading initially. The investment may later be increased by up to Machine S$4 million (US$2.3 million) if additional funding is needed. Steri-Care feels that there is a strong demand for outsourced A machine originally developed by an Auckland-based sterilization services in Singapore and expects to break engineering company to sort and grade New Zealand kiwifruit even in its first year of operation with revenues projected at and apples is finding a demand overseas. S$3–4 million. According to Compac Sorting Equipment Ltd., its machine The services offered include collection, decontamination, is able to gauge how a fruit tastes and to grade and label it sterilization, packing and distribution of items such as correctly — while keeping it intact. The machine has now surgical instruments, linen and sterile supplies used by been improved to grade other fruit, including avocados, operating theaters and wards in hospitals and other healthcare tomatoes, oranges, lemons, capsicum, onions and potatoes. facilities. The machine employs a proprietary technology (called Steri-Care will establish an offsite sterile supplies Tastemark) that uses a near infrared (NIR) spectrophotometry processing center and start offering the service in the second unit and a special software. The computer reads and interprets quarter of next year. It will initially service Parkway-affiliated the light reflected from each fruit sample and interprets what hospitals in Singapore. the fruit is like internally, regardless of how it may appear Outsourcing of services such as sterilization could reduce externally. the operating costs of healthcare providers. According to Studies conducted in the US have successfully used the Parkway, the service is the first of its kind in the Asian region, NIR technology in a high-speed sorting system to measure although hospitals in the United States and Europe are already the sugar content (Brix scale) in apples that had been bred for farming out such non-core activities to specialized service their red-skinned appearance. Some of these apples, bred for providers. looks, are disappointing in taste; but the grader was able to sort them according to sugar and dry matter content. ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE Packers will therefore be able to sort fruit with the best taste into export consignments, while the rest will be diverted Indian President Calls for to second-tier export and domestic markets. Eventually, big supermarket chains in the US and Europe might even add Research into Traditional taste to such label specifications of fruit as appearance, size and spray history. Medicines Compac has built more than 40 graders so far, and several Indian President, Mr. K R Narayanan, has recently called of these are for overseas customers. The company says that for comprehensive scientific research into traditional Indian the technology has saved one of the biggest citrus-packers in medicines, and their protection to prevent western countries California from financial trouble. The machine enabled Golden from acquiring exclusive rights over them. He said this during Valley Citrus to separate good oranges from damaged ones the inaugural function of the Ayurvedic and Research after a severe frost last December. This enabled the company Center in New Delhi. to save 30 percent of the harvest, when its competitors, who The Ayurvedic Hospital and Research Center, which is were using the old water sorters, were able to save only 20– an affiliate of the Kottayal Arya Vaidya Sala in , will 25 percent. It was just what the company needed to keep its treat patients suffering from rheumatic problems, skin diseases, business going. Parkinson’s Disease and degenerative diseases such as motor-neuron disorders and multiplesclerosis. It will also offer various reputed therapies and classical Ayurdedic formulations for the treatment of paralysis, rheumatism, arthritis, spondilitis, Singapore Company Offers hysteria, insanity and other psychosomatic disorders. Hospitals Outsourcing Mr. Narayanan, who said that India cannot go on fighting cases in western courts for patents, stressed on the need Services for India to work towards patenting its drugs, while at the same time making its knowledge available to the western A new company in Singapore is offering equipment and world. supplies sterilization services to hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare centers. The company, Steri-Care, is a joint According to Mr. Narayanan, the glory of could venture between SembCorp Logistics and Parkway Group only be restored if it was allied with modern sciences. Mr. Healthcare. The joint venture will bring together Parkway’s Narayanan said that if Ayurveda practitioners ignored scientific strength in healthcare and SembCorp Logistics’ logistical and developments, then medical doctors would also disregard supply chain management experience. Ayurveda.

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APBNV4N23 433 11/13/00, 11:22 AM The researchers warn that many people who take herbal Chinese Medicine is Not medicine for asthma may be unaware of its side effects. These medicines include gingko biloba, one of the most popular Biotech, Says HK Academic Chinese herbal medicines, which could have the potential to In a recent report in the South China Morning Post, the interfere with anticoagulant drugs used by heart patients. President of the Hong Kong Baptist University sent a strong The study cited a survey by Britain’s National Asthma warning to the Hong Kong government regarding the Campaign, which found that up to 70 percent of people with “westernization” of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). moderate to severe asthma had tried alternative medicine, Dr. Daniel Tse, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the including herbal remedies. Considering the popularity of herbal University, said that it is completely wrong to study TCM as medicines among asthma patients, the researchers think there one would biotechnology. “The science of biotechnology can is an urgent need for stringently designed, clinically relevant, only serve as a means to upgrade Chinese medicine. But the randomized clinical trials to be conducted to evaluate the two subjects are not identical,” he warned. efficacy of the medicines. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, plans to develop the Special Administrative Region into an RESEARCH NEWS international hub for TCM. A research center, called the Institute of Chinese Medicine, has already obtained funding Singapore University Finds of HK$500 million (US$64 million) and construction will start soon. Mr. Tung encourages research to be undertaken in the Quick Test for Enteroviruses field of TCM and eventual commercialization of the products. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Executive Associate Dean of Baptist University’s School have found a way to cut the time needed to test for viruses of Chinese Medicine, Prof. Liu Liang, agreed with Dr. Tse. He — such as those responsible for the recent outbreak of hand, felt that TCM has a long history and had proved to be effective, foot and mounth disease (HFMD) among children in the therefore, “westernizing” it would not be right. republic — from two to three weeks to just a few days. The NUS team published its research findings in the Journal of Dr. Tse is perhaps taking a more balanced view of the VirologicaI Methods in April this year. They are currently ancient knowledge of TCM. He did not outrightly criticize working on improving the technique in order to obtain the the study of TCM via biotechnological methods, but he result on the same day. appeared to be worried that TCM would be studied only in the laboratory without the participation of TCM practitioners. The university’s Department of Microbiology’s Enterovirus He suggested that the government appoint people who know 71 Research Team has been studying tests for the viruses, TCM well to give their advice on the future plans and called enteroviruses, for more than two years. These viruses, developments. which killed more than 70 children in Taiwan in 1998 and three children in Malaysia in 1997, may show flu-like symptoms. Some may be serious as to cause inflammation of the heart and brain. Eastern Herbal Cures for There are three countries in the world conducting major research on enterovirus 71 — the Centers for Disease Control Asthma Disputed and Prevention in the US; the James Cook University in A study published in the British journal Thorax throws Australia and the NUS, where research is funded by a grant doubts on the efficacy of eastern herbal medicines to treat from the National Medical Research Council. Only the James asthma. Researchers from the University of Exeter in the Cook University and the NUS are working on developing a UK reported that there is no scientific evidence to back the vaccine. claims, after it had assessed 17 eastern herbal remedies for The NUS team, with help from the Singapore General asthma. Hospital, tested for the virus by applying a molecular typing Six of the remedies were traditional Chinese medicines, process that analyzes the molecular structure of the virus. eight were Indian Ayurvedic medicines, and the other three This enables the virus to be identified more quickly. Associate were medicine from Japan, marijuana and extract of Professor Poh Chit Laa, the team’s principal investigator, said dried ivy leaf. her team had been able to directly isolate the virus, something their counterparts had not been able to do. With the new Nine of the 17 trials reported a significant improvement testing method, different virus strains can be compared and in breathing or easing in asthma symptoms. However, the British researchers say that most of the trials were scientifically studied. Professor Poh said that while the enterovirus 71 strains flawed, e.g., in the age and profile of the patient, description isolated in Singapore and Malaysia were similar, they were of the outcome and whether the herbs had any adverse effect. different from the Taiwan strain. Nevertheless, they concede that in some cases “there are Research at the NUS could lead to the discovery of a promising data which warrant further investigation.” DNA vaccine to combat the enteroviruses. The team is

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APBNV4N23 434 11/13/00, 11:22 AM ASIA-PACIFIC BI TECHNEWS collaborating with Johns Hopkins (Singapore) in this search. price. Overseas orders for the drug have already been received The vaccine, which will be a long-term protection against from a dozen countries and regions. enterovirus infection, is expected to be ready in two to five Each year, AIDS kills two million people around the years’ time. world, and the number of Chinese afflicted by AIDS has been increasing over the past few years. The availability of D4T at an affordable price is good news for AIDS patients China to Invest in Biochip everywhere. Research China will invest RMB$280 million (US$33.8 million) to Blood Clot Cleared with set up a research and development center for biochips (technically known as DNA microarrays). This was announced Unique Method by the Ministry of Science and Technology at the 2000 Chinese doctors have successfully saved a patient’s leg International Engineering and Sci-Tech Conference held in from amputation by pulverizing a blood clot in his femoral Beijing recently. To date the project has reportedly attracted artery with a miniature triturator. RMB$150 million (US$18.1 million) in venture capital from an unnamed foreign source. The 67-year-old patient had a blood clot measuring 30 centimeters long in the femoral artery of his left leg. His leg Biochips are high-performance intelligent computer chips had turned cold and one of his toes was dead owing to lack based on genetic technology. They are expected to be widely of blood flow. The patient was in agony and would have had used in future high-speed computer systems, sophisticated his leg amputated if no immediate treatment was carried out. robots and artificial human organ technology. Doctors from Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital in north- The Ministry has designated the premier Tsinghua east China used a catheter to penetrate into the femoral artery. University, the Central China Science and Technology A miniature triturator installed inside the catheter then University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China pulverized the blood clot, which was glue-like in consistency, Liberation Army Medical Academy as participants in the R&D into tiny particles. The clot particles were subsequently of the cutting-edge technology. Each of the participating absorbed by the body. institutions will contribute up to RMB$50 million to fund the project. The operation did no damage to the blood vessel and the pain disappeared after the operation as blood circulation The Chinese government will offer highly competitive resumed. The patient’s leg regained normal temperature and remuneration packages to attract more than 30 world-class the skin assumed healthy coloration. scientists and engineers to work on the project. The operation was reportedly the first of its kind ever performed successfully in China. China Produces New Anti- AIDS Drug Chinese Scientists Develop China has manufactured a new drug, called Stavudine, Method to Reduce Hep B for the treatment of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The drug, also known as D4T, is the second generation Occurrence in Newborns of the first anti-AIDS drug Zidovudine, or AZT, introduced six Scientists from the Children’s Hospital at Fudan University years ago. D4T has similar curative properties as AZT, but Medical School in China have developed a new immunization only one tenth the toxicity and side effects. method to reduce the rate newborns may be infected with China thus becomes the third country in the world to the hepatitis B virus from their mothers. produce D4T, after the United States and Spain. The drug A pregnant woman who is infected with the hepatitis B was developed by researchers at the Xian Jiaotong University virus tends to pass on the infection to her baby. Conventionally, led by Associate Professor Lu Yong, and is being batch- babies are not inoculated against diseases until they are born. produced for export. Using this new technique, both the mother and the embryo are injected with a special antibody to reduce the level of Clinical tests on 1000 patients have shown that the use virus in the body during pregnancy. When the baby is born, of D4T in combination with a proteinase inhibitor can reduce it will receive two more immunoglobulin injections, one the mortality of HIV-positive patients by two thirds. immediately at birth and another when it is two weeks old. The cost of D4T made in China is RMB$18 000 Finally, the baby will receive a hepatitis B vaccine when it (US$2170) per kilogram, about two-third of the world market is one month old.

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APBNV4N23 435 11/13/00, 11:22 AM The scientists found that this method reduced the rate of infection by over 90 percent, compared to vaccination at New Sorghum Variety birth only. China has a high rate of hepatitis B infection, with two million infected babies born every year. Hepatitis B is Released in India associated with complications of the liver, and some carriers A new sorghum variety with high quality grain and better eventually develop liver cancer. yields has recently been released for commercial cultivation in India. This variety, which is known as CSV 16, was developed by the Regional Agricultural Research Station in HK Study Finds New Lupus Andhra Pradesh through hybridization. The average grain yield of CSV 16 is 3.1 tons per hectare, Treatment Has Lesser while its dry fodder yield is 14 tons per hectare. The dry fodder is used as cattle feed. The higher fodder yield is highly Side Effects desirable, especially the dry areas. Doctors in Hong Kong have successfully tested a new CSV 16 has been well received by farmers not only treatment for severe lupus nephritis that avoids the serious because of its improved grain quality and yield, but also complications associated with the conventional treatment. because it is highly tolerant of leaf spots and grain moulds Results of the study were published in a recent issue of the compared to existing varieties — CSV 13, CSV 15 and SPV New England Journal of Medicine. 462. In addition, it is also tolerant to pests such as the shoot- fly and stem borer. Therefore, the cost of cultivation of CSV The study was carried out by nephrologists at the 16 is lower than conventional varieties since the farmer will University of Hong Kong’s Department of Medicine and not have to invest heavily in pesticides. members of the Hong Kong-Guangzhou Nephrology Study Group. They tested a new drug for the treatment of diffuse CSV 16 is well suited for early June sowing and can proliferative lupus nephritis, the most severe form of kidney be harvested in 110 days. Although CSV 16 grows well in disease in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is most types of soil, it excels in loamy soils with adequate common among Chinese and a major cause of kidney failure. drainage. In a trial involving 42 patients suffering from the disease, the efficacy and side effects of the new treatment using prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), given for 12 months, were compared with those of the conventional Korean Scientists Develop treatment using prednisolone and cyclophosphamide, given for 6 months, followed by prednisolone and azathioprine for GM Rice another 6 months. Korean biotechnology company, Scigen Harvest Co., and The conventional treatment is effective but has many scientists from the Chonnam National University have jointly side effects since cyclophosphamide is a non-selective developed a genetically modified (GM) rice which could cytotoxic agent. The side effects include hair loss, amenorrhea, increase output by 26 percent. infertility, bleeding from urinary bladder and low white blood The genetic structure of the rice plant was modified by cell count, which increases the risk of infections. Some of the inserting the protox gene from Bacillus subtilis into it. This complications can be fatal. gene, which is responsible for the production of the MMF is a relatively new drug with proven efficacy in photosynthetic system in a plant, has been shown to increase preventing and treating rejection after kidney transplant. It the number of branches in the rice plant. During a two-year selectively suppresses lymphocytes, which are critical to SLE. field trial it was shown to increase output by 26 percent. The study showed that, of the 21 patients given the combined Past efforts by scientists to integrate the protox gene use of corticosteroid and MMF for one year, clinical from other sources into the rice plant were not successful. In improvements were seen in 95 percent, or 20, of the subjects. fact, it would not integrate well, and this slowed the formation The efficacy of this novel treatment was comparable to the of chlorophyll. However, the Korean team, led by Professor conventional therapy. Kuh Ja-ok, has found that the protox gene from Bacillus subtilis Both groups of patients had a similar incidence of integrates well into the rice plant, and does not cause any infections. However, complications such as severe hair loss, negative effects. amenorrhea, low white blood cell count and death were Currently, the scientists are testing if the GM rice is observed only in the group treated with cyclophosphamide. safe for human consumption. If approved for human The study concluded that the new treatment is as effective consumption, and this strain is commercialized, Korea can but less toxic than the conventional treatment. The relative significantly reduce its rice imports. This development is seen absence of severe adverse effects with MMF is a distinct as a major accomplishment in addressing the issue of food advantage compared with the conventional treatment. shortage, especially in Asian countries.

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APBNV4N23 436 11/13/00, 11:22 AM ASIA-PACIFIC BI TECHNEWS According to Professor Kuh this technology could be applied to increase the output of other crops such as wheat Takeda Develops More and oats. Scigen has filed an international patent application for this discovery. Efficient Method to Detect Endocrine Disrupter Environmental scientists have proposed that there are High Iron Levels “Rust” chemicals in the environment that have the ability to create havoc in the endocrine systems of humans and wildlife. Known Blood Vessels as endocrine disrupters, these chemicals are believed to behave like estrogens, thereby causing hormonal imbalance Japanese researchers have discovered that high iron levels and subsequent reproductive and development problems. The in the blood are associated with heart disease. This was main source of these endocrine disrupters is believed to be reported at a recent conference of the American Heart synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers and plastics Association’s Council for High Blood Pressure Research. They for agricultural and industrial purposes, and wastes that are found evidence that iron can increase oxidative stress on the sometimes not disposed of properly in restricted areas or lining of blood vessels. dumped thoughtlessly in rivers. This suggests that western diet, which is rich in red meat, Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd. and Tokyo University of causes heart disease not only because of its high fat content Agriculture have developed a new method of identifying but also because of its richness in iron, said Dr. Hidehiro endocrine disrupters. The new technique takes only 15 minutes Matsuoka, chief of the hypertension division at the Kurume and is said to be four times faster than conventional methods. Medical School in Fukuoka. Furthermore, it is able to detect several substances, at Several earlier studies also suggest that iron stores are concentrations as low as 10 nanograms, simultaneously. closely linked to the incidence of heart attacks and coronary artery disease. Men who regularly donate blood are found to The active agent consists of a protein that is able to have a lower risk of contracting heart disease, and attach itself to specific chemicals and magnetized bacteria. premenopausal women, who regularly lose iron through Together with a small amount of a known endocrine disrupter menstruation, also have a lower risk of heart disease. dyed with a fluorescent substance, the solution is added to a Biochemical studies have shown that iron helps to produce water sample, e.g., from the river. The active agents will then free radicals that can damage cells in the body. Dr. Matsuoka’s bind themselves with the chemicals in the river sample and team decided to see if they could link these two sets of the level of endocrine disrupters is obtained by calculating findings. the ratio of magnetic particles attached to the dyed disrupters and those attached to disrupters from the sample. They examined the effect iron on the endothelium — the layer of cells that lines blood vessels and is closely Demand for the product will potentially come from associated with heart and artery diseases. In the first study of environmental agencies worldwide. ten healthy men, they overdosed them with iron and found increased levels of malondialdehyde, a chemical marker of oxidation and of impaired endothelial function, in these men. On the other hand, a drug to lower iron levels in ten healthy Japanese Companies to male smokers had improved the endothelial function. Jointly Develop Genetic Dr. Matsuoka also believes that iron somehow interferes with nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes the walls of blood Drugs vessel, thereby allowing the blood to flow more freely. Japanese companies — Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., “Our study shows that we should recognize iron as a Fujitsu Ltd., and Celestar Lexico-Sciences — have recently risk factor for arteriosclerosis and understand the need to announced the launch of a five-year joint study for the control our body’s iron levels to prevent cardiovascular development of drugs using genetic data. disease,” Dr. Matsuoka said in a statement. He said doctors should measure endothelial function as part of a standard Daiichi and Celestar will study genetic functions related physical examination, just as blood pressure is now measured. to cancer, dementia, and infectious diseases, among others, The test, using harmless ultrasound, is simple to perform and using a gene function prediction system that Daiichi and takes only 30 minutes. Fujitsu have jointly developed. Using the results of this study, Daiichi will try to develop drugs affecting disease-related He also noted that kidney dialysis patients, who are genes. anemic and often receive intravenous iron, have very high rates of heart disease. Dr. Matsuoka said kidney dialysis Daiichi has already formed a team comprising 60 patients should be made aware of the danger, and suggested members for the joint study and has planned to invest about taking the iron supplement orally as a safer option. 9 billion yen (US$82.8 million) in the first two years.

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