The bigger problem is one that goes to the claims that Robyn O'Brien makes about industry influence. It might have been found by the Times reporter, were she not trained to do restaurant reviews and come to expect all the information she needs will be handed to her.
Who do we find among the unbiased FAAN experts, offering the medical opinions that gmo foods are not the source of the allergy problems?
The most notable conflict that appears immediately is Dr. Hugh A. Sampson, M.D.. Sampson is listed on a Monasnto patent for a variety of pesticide producing gmo food. Ironically enough, part of the patent application itself deals directly with the issue of allergens from the novel proteins and here is a quote from the Monsanto patent that lists Sampson as one of the inventors. Does that seems like a close relationship between the policy supporter and the corporate beneficiary?
United States Patent Application 20040216187
Modified proteins are disclosed that maintain enzymatic and insecticidal activity while displaying reduced or eliminated allergenicity. Epitopes which bind to anti-patatin antibodies were identified, and removed via site directed mutagenesis. Tyrosines were observed to generally contribute to the allergenic properties of patatin proteins. Removal of glycosylation sites was observed to reduce or eliminate antibody binding. Permuteins are also disclosed which have a rearranged amino acid sequence while retaining enzymatic activity. Deallergenized proteins and permuteins can be used as insecticidal materials, as nutritional supplements, and as immunotherapeutic agents.
Inventors: Alibhai, Murtaza F.; (Chesterfield, MO) ; Astwood, James D.; (Eureka, MO) ; McWherter, Charles A.; (Chesterfield, MO) ; Sampson, Hugh A.; (Larchmont, NY)
[0001] The invention relates generally to non-naturally occurring novel proteins which have insecticidal properties, and more specifically to the design, preparation, and use of proteins that have been deallergenized while maintaining their insecticidal properties. Deallergenized patatin proteins include variants that have had allergenic sequences modified, and permuteins that have had their amino acid sequences rearranged at one or more breakpoints.
There is no way to know what financial arrangements are in place between Sampson and Monsanto. The other researchers named only appear as individuals in current searches, but an article by the American Chemical Society shows them as Monsanto investigators.
Copyright © 2003 American Chemical Society
The Crystal Structure, Mutagenesis, and Activity Studies Reveal that Patatin Is a Lipid Acyl Hydrolase with a Ser-Asp Catalytic Dyad
Timothy J. Rydel,* Jennifer M. Williams, Elysia Krieger, Farhad Moshiri, William C. Stallings, Sherri M. Brown, Jay C. Pershing, John P. Purcell, and Murtaza F. Alibhai
Monsanto Company, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017-1732, and Pharmacia Corporation, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017-1732
Received November 11, 2002
Clearly there is an ongoing work with these researchers and any financial benefit must be more advantageous than working as employees or the relationships would not continue.
Also note the summary above has drug company that is Pfiser that was Pharmacia Corporation and it has been merged into and spun off from Monsanto in a dance of subsidiaries and holding companies,restructuring and M&A deals that mix the fortunes and balance sheets and ties between Monsanto and Pfiser and Searle.
Yes Donald Rumsfeld's old company G.D. Searle, dear menu reading Times author, and the gmo food giant Monsanto, take no more time to tie together than showing the initiative to see the recent corporate history. So much for the author's snide jeer about conspiracy theory, when all that is needed to link the two is a quick glance at the Times own Business Section and voila, there is the direct connection.
