Biotechnology under debate

2002/04/26 Imaz Amiano, Eneko - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Bioteknologia

Dr. Margarita Salas is a prestigious molecular geneticist. In short, pioneer in Spain in molecular biology. At the beginning he worked with Severo Ochoa, both in Spain and in the USA. He currently works at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center. In fact, he has worked for many years with the Phi-29 phage (identification of proteins, expression of synthesis of genetic information, control of protein expression…). He has done basic research with this bacteriophage, but they have also patented a protein very useful for gene amplification. He has published numerous works and articles.

In any case, the title of your conference is ‘XXI. Biotechnology of the 20th century’. The conference reviewed the main studies and field work done in biotechnology in recent years. It refers especially to the discovery of the human genome. According to him, it has been an important discovery, but he considered that knowledge of genes is a basic information and highlighted the need for studies such as the protein that encode these genes to achieve more precise applications. That is, you have to jump from genomics to proteomics, it has jumped.

On the other hand, he considered biomedicine as the most important application of biotechnology. He was very hopeful for the value of knowing which diseases produce certain genes and proteins to cure or prevent disease. As an example, he cited the genetic study of the embryos before the implant. In this way, the children who would be about to be born would know the tendency to suffer genetic diseases and we would have the opportunity to choose the right embryos or to take measures to fight or not the disease from the beginning.

Of course, he accepted that there are still tasks.

He had no doubt that frozen embryos should be used for research, not even for therapeutic cloning. However, regarding reproductive cloning, he expressed his opposition, mainly because current technology does not ensure that clonic children are healthy. In any case, in addition to the influence of genes on human nature, he claimed that the environment also has much to do with it.

Finally, he stressed the need to make an effort to approach the speed of science in relation to these issues, as far as legislation is concerned, and they cannot go so far behind. And, moreover, he believes that public institutions should unequivocally support this type of research, since otherwise private companies will gain a great advantage and it will be very difficult to level or pay patents. In his opinion, if the public consortium had not obtained grants for the study of the human genome, probably today researchers would have problems obtaining data on the human genome so basic in biomedicine. Currently, for example, such a lot of stem cells has an approximate cost of € 7,200, since it is patented by a private company.