12 مارس, 2007 - Published 12:51 GMT

US to grow plants containing human genes

In a major advance for the biotech industry a Californian company has won initial permission to grow a special rice implanted with genes found in human breast milk and saliva. It would be the first time a crop has been used to produce human proteins on a large scale.

The company, Ventria Bioscience, wants to extract the proteins to make a medicine for diarrhoea and possibly to add them to health foods. But consumer groups are furious. The US Centre for Food Safety's Bill Freece, claims there's a danger of contaminating other crops and possibly harming human health.

BILL FREECE: I'm really concerned about this because I think there's one, the potential for this rice to get into the food supply and two, it hasn't been tested, it hasn't gone through a drug review process. So we're dealing with an unknown here, something that could cause harm to human health.

The company insist there's no risk of contamination because the crop will be planted in Kansas where no other rice crops are grown. But with controversy growing, the US Department of Agriculture has yet to give final approval and there are many bigger regulatory hurdles before the first food with human DNA can be sold to consumers.

James Westhead, BBC, Washington

biotech
مخفف بیوتکنولوژی، زیست فن آوری

has won initial permission
اجازه مقدماتی را گرفته است

implanted
جای داد، کاشت، کارگذاشت

saliva
بذاق دهان

to extract
بیرون کشیدن، بیرون آوردن

consumer groups
گروه های مدافع حقوق مصرف کنندگان

contaminating
آلوده کردن

a drug review process
روند رسمی آزمایش بی خطر بودن یک دارو برای مصرف عموم

regulatory hurdles
موانع نظارتی و کنترل کننده

DNA
دی ان ای