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Flavr Savr, a genetically modified tomato, was the first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption. It was developed by the Californian company Calgene in the 1980s. The tomato has an improved shelf-life, increased fungal resistance and a slightly increased viscosity compared to its non-modified counterpart. It was meant to be harvested ripe for increased flavor for long-distance shipping. The Flavr Savr contains two genes added by Calgene; a reversed antisense polygalacturonase gene which inhibits the production of a rotting enzyme and a gene responsible for the creation of APH(3')II, which confers resistance to certain aminoglycoside antibiotics including kanamycin and neomycin. On May 18, 1994, the FDA completed its evaluation of the Flavr Savr tomato and the use of APH(3')II, concluding that the tomato "is as safe as tomatoes bred by conventional means" and "that the use of aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase II is safe for use as a processing aid in the development of new varieties of tomato, rapeseed oil, and cotton intended for food use." It was first sold in 1994, and was only available for a few years before production ceased in 1997. Calgene made history, but mounting costs prevented the company from becoming profitable, and it was eventually acquired by Monsanto Company.
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Prof. Waceke Wanjohi is a professor at Kenyatta University who works in plant pathology, research, teaching, networking, and graduate education. She is the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at Kenyatta University. She was appointed to act as the Vice chancellor of the same university from July 2022. Dedicated to boosting Africa's competitiveness in the global arena by improving agricultural output in smallholder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Norah Olembo was a Kenyan biochemist and policy developer, who helped establish standards for use of biotechnology in Kenya. She was the first African to become a professor and chair of the biochemistry department at the University of Nairobi. Raised in Western Kenya during British rule, Olembo studied biology at Butere Girls High School before completing her A-level studies at The Mount School in York, England. She earned a bachelor's, master's, and PhD in botany, chemistry, and zoology at the University of Nairobi before taking post-graduate courses in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of London. While teaching at the University of Nairobi, she founded the Biotechnology Trust Africa in 1992. The organisation funded research into development of disease-free crops and vaccines for animal diseases.
References
- ↑ "Dr. Florence Muringi Wambugu". Africa Harvest. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ↑ "Monsanto's showcase project in Africa fails". Archived from the original on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ↑ Wambugu, Florence; Kamanga, Daniel, eds. (2014). Biotechnology in Africa: Emergence, Initiatives and Future. Science Policy Reports. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-319-04000-4.
- ↑ "The Yara Prize Laureates 2008 | Yara International". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
