Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project Update—Sept 2012 Dr. Florence Wambugu, Africa Harvest—ABS Project Co-PI Dr. Marc C. Albertsen, DuPont Pioneer—ABS Project PI Dr. Silas Obukosia, Africa Harvest ABS Project Manager Dr. Zho-yu Zhao, DuPont Pioneer ABS Project Lead Scientist
18
Embed
Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project Update …ksiconnect.icrisat.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/8...2012/11/08 · Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project Update—Sept 2012
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS)
Project Update—Sept 2012 Dr. Florence Wambugu, Africa Harvest—ABS Project Co-PI
Dr. Marc C. Albertsen, DuPont Pioneer—ABS Project PI
Dr. Silas Obukosia, Africa Harvest ABS Project Manager
Dr. Zho-yu Zhao, DuPont Pioneer ABS Project Lead Scientist
2
Biofortified Sorghum Project Sorghum
– A staple food for 300 million people in
Africa
• Fifth most important grain for food
use
– Center of origin in Africa
– Primary cereal in arid and semi-arid
geographies
• Importance will grow as climate
change unfolds
Sorghum Grain and Food Quality
– Very low pro-vitamin A content
– Low iron and zinc bio-availability because of high phytate
– Poor protein digestibility – even worse after cooking
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH, PARTICULARLY IN INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
3
Original ABS Consortium Concept and Orientation
• ABS Consortium was established with 13 organizations, most of which were African-based
• The Consortium was coordinated by Africa Harvest, an African NGO
• Management was by adherence to Milestones and specific Activities
• In addition to technology development, a critical component was development of biosafety
protocols and regulations that were African-centric
• Enabled eventual achievement of world’s first confined field trial of transgenic sorghum in
The targeted traits • Beta carotene increased AND stabilized • Iron and zinc bioavailability increased • Protein digestibility improved after cooking
Technology access and application to sorghum • Improved sorghum transformation technology • Nutritional improvement • Trait efficacy • Product development feasibility
• Technology transfer from USA to Africa
• Capacity building in Africa • Research, seed systems, regulatory,
communication, institutional
• Biosafety policy/regulations developed/executed • Conduct Confined Field Trials (CFTs) in Africa
• Provide pathway for biotechnology traits
• Biotech acceptance advanced in key countries – farmers, consumers
• Improved product development and delivery systems for Africa
5
ABS Project Progress: Confined Field Trials
Successfully Conducted in Africa
Confined Field Trial of Transgenic
Sorghum In Kenya Managed by
KARI and AH
Confined Field Trial of Transgenic
Sorghum In Nigeria Managed by
IAR and AH
6
ABS Project Progress: Gene Flow Studies
• Collaboration underway amongst Kenya Ag Research Institute (KARI) and USDA (Univ. of Neb) researchers • Evaluating weediness and fitness of
accessions
• No surprises thus far, none expected
• First round of work will be complete 4Q12
• Next round will be conducted with final transgenic event
• Publication anticipated. Will be led by KARI and Africa Harvest.
7
Overview of ABS Project Phase I and II
Phase – I Phase - II
Time Frame July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2010 April 1, 2011 – March 30, 2015
Funding Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Howard Buffet Research Foundation
Fund Recipient Coordinator
Africa Harvest Biotech International Foundation Danforth Center
Major Collaborators ABS Consortium (13 members), Biosafety and Regulatory Network (BRN) and Harvest Plus (HP)
•Phase I no-cost extension with Gates Foundation (BRN & HP) •Phase II with the Danforth Center
•PI/Co PI •Lead Scientist
•P. Anderson (M. Albertsen)/Florence Wambugu •Zuo-Yu Zhao
•M. Albertsen/Florence Wambugu •Zuo-Yu Zhao
Trait Targets •Protein quality and digestibility •Fe & Zn bioavailability •Pro-vitamin A bioavailability
•Increased levels of pro-vitamin A •Enhanced Fe & Zn bioavailability •Protein digestibility after cooking
Other Collaborations
Bioassays-UCD, Purdue, Connell, USDA via HP; Pollen Flow-USDA; Regulatory Core Package- EnviroLogix, Inc. via BRN
•African activities coordinated through Africa Harvest •Collaborations continued through the Phase I no-cost extension (ended 30 June 2012)
Target Countries •Tier-1: BF, Nigeria & Kenya •Tier-2: South Africa & Egypt
•Continuation of established emphasis •CFT’s conducted through Africa Harvest in Nigeria & Kenya; planning for CGT in Burkina Faso
Training Duty Trained 13 African scientists and breeders NA
8
Phase II Biofortified Sorghum Project Countries
• Strategically positioned anchor
countries for development and
deployment
– Primary targets: Kenya, Nigeria
• Burkina Faso?
• Project activities supported by
in-country enthusiasm from Ministers
of Agriculture and NARS
– Biosafety acts enacted or being
enacted
• Countries will become focal points
from which seed will be distributed
and disseminated
9
Phase II Deliverables—Stage-1 and Stage-2:
• Phase II, Stage-1: Deliver a transgenic sorghum donor line that can provide
30-50% of the RDA (300 – 900 µg RAE*/day) for vitamin A in children during
4-6 months of ambient air storage
– Increase accumulation of β-carotene and Carotenoids
– Increase stability of β-carotene and Carotenoids through co-expression of vitamin E
• Phase II, Stage-2: Identify event(s) for Fe/Zn bioavailability increases of 50%
and 35% that can be stacked with genes for beta carotene
improvement/stability and improved protein digestibility
– Validate experimental results showing enhanced Fe/Zn bioavailability in phytate-
reduced transgenic seeds
– Develop construct(s) to achieve phytate reduction without negative impact on seed
germination rate or seed weight
– Identify genes and constructs to meet beta carotene and micronutrient
bioavailability goals and stack with previously developed construct for improved
protein digestibility improvement
*RAE = Rentinol Activity Equivalents
10
Stage-1 Progress: Identified a leading transgenic line with
potential for first generation product development
• Over 250 events have been produced and are being analyzed for
enhanced carotenoid levels, beta-carotene stability, and field
performance
– Have achieved 50% improvement in beta-carotene half-life stability from
3 weeks to 7.5 weeks
• Additional constructs with combinations of new genes to further
improve beta-carotene levels and stability are either in
transformation or in early generation analysis
WT ABS203 WT ABS203 Color differences demonstrate enhancement of beta-carotene in transgenics
Vs wild type control
11
ABS Project Phase II Progress:
Communications
• Communications Strategy to Date
– Align overall communications strategy with Africa Harvest
– Ensure communications does not get ahead of R&D progress
– Managed information surrounding CFTs
– Scenario planning and issues management
– Internal stakeholders up-to-date
– Establish regular communications between Pioneer and Africa Harvest
• Key Messages and Positioning
– African-led initiative and collaboration
– High research standards and adherence to country regulatory mandates
– Significant milestones
– There is a significant need for ABS initiative to be successful
12
ABS Project: Next Steps
• Determine final β-carotene gene composition and optimize
final construct
• Establish pro-vitamin A conversion rate of transgenic
sorghum in animal model systems
• Determine final Fe & Zn bioavailability gene composition
and optimize final construct
• Establish Fe & Zn bioavailability of transgenic sorghum in
animal model systems
13
ABS Project: Next Steps
• Continue stewardship and compliance training
• Continue CFTs in African target countries (Kenya, Nigeria)
– Initiate greenhouse study in Burkina Faso
• Build capacity for Phase II trait integration into local
sorghum varieties
• Continue to define Communication needs for ABS product
development in Africa
• Continue dialogue, education, and awareness with
regulatory authorities
– Demonstrate local interest and investment
– Continually refine and update core regulatory package needs
14
Phase II Summary
1. Meaningful targets with ex-ante data have been established as guidelines for
trait improvement
2. The quantity and stability of Pro-vitamin A (beta carotene) has been improved
• The levels of carotenoids and β-carotene are increased ~20X compared with wild type.
• Preliminary bioavailability data from Caco-2 cell analysis are encouraging.
• Beta carotene stability upon storage has been doubled.
• Collaboration underway with ISU scientist to estimate conversion rate of beta carotene to
retinol.
3. Essential micronutrient bioavailability has been increased
• Phytate-reduced sorghum showed increased bioavailability of iron and zinc.
• Alternative approaches for phytate reduction & mineral bioavailability are underway.
4. Significant progress in regulatory framework development
• First transgenic sorghum field trials grown in targeted countries in Africa (Kenya and Nigeria)
• Gene flow studies being conducted in Kenya and Nebraska have not uncovered any issues
5. Strong African partner relationship established
• Sustained funding for African partners is critical to maintain continued regulatory involvement
and development.
• Successful CFT execution and GMO acceptance in Africa is crucial for project success.
15
ICRISAT/ABS: Potential for Alignment
• African varieties for eventual introgression of ABS improved material
• Share information on Fe and Zn efforts • ICRISAT native traits program
• ABS transgenic trait program
• Potential for collaboration
• Plans for sorghum hybrid development • Desire to ramp up efforts?
• What might this look like?
• Seed production capacity in Africa • How can we work together to make it happen
16
ABS Project: Urgent Requirement for
Continued, New Funding
• Require a new source of funding to continue CFTs in African target
countries to maintain momentum in developing robust biosafety
procedures and processes
• Continued funding will enable capacity building for trait integration into
local sorghum varieties
• New funding will help support communication needs for initial product
development and release in Africa
17
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
• Lead Event Development
• US Field Trials
• African Field Trials &
Capacity Building
• Evaluate Protein
Digestibility and Pro-
vitamin A Bioavailability
• Nutrition Profile Analysis
Howard Buffet Research Foundation
Pioneer
Foundation
Funding
• Trait Integration &
Efficacy in Africa
• Efficacy Testing
• Produce
Homozygous Seeds
Obtain
Funding for
Phase 3
• Permits
• Seed to Target Countries
• FTO management
• CFTs in US
Phase 3 Funding
18
ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS • Gates Foundation for Phase-I funding and no cost extension • Howard Buffet Foundation for Phase-II research funding • Africa Harvest for project management and CFT development in Africa
•Florence Wambugu •Silas Obukosia •Daniel Kamanga
• Danforth Plant Science Center for coordination of Phase-II research • Harvest Plus for coordination of Bioavailability analysis • UCD, Purdue and Cornell/USDA for collaboration on Bioavailability analysis • BRN for coordination of Core Package • Original ABS Consortium members • Pioneer ABS Team
• Marc Albertsen (PI) • Zuo-Yu Zhao (Science Lead) • Jim Gaffney (Regulatory Lead) • Lonnetta Ragland (Communication Lead) • Ping Che (Scientist) • Kimberly Glassman (Scientist)