Royal Society explores gene editing in NZ

REMOVING allergens from milk, making manuka diseaseresistant and preventing wilding pines are some potential future uses of gene editing in New Zealand.

The possibilities are explored in the Royal Society Te Aparangi’s new discussion paper, ‘‘The use of gene editing in the primary industries’’.

The paper outlines the relevant considerations, risks and potential benefits for five scenarios of how gene editing could be used for primary production sectors.

The Royal Society Te Aparangi said in a statement it was part of its larger Gene Editing in Aotearoa project.

A multidisciplinary expert panel and reference group had been brought together to explore the wider social, cultural, legal and economic implications of gene editing in New Zealand.

Professor of Molecular Genetics at Massey University and cochair of the expert panel Barry Scott said gene editing techniques would allow more targeted and precise genetic changes than what had been possible before in crop and livestock breeding.

‘‘It’s a good time for New Zealanders to consider what gene editing could offer our primary industries and how they’d feel about its use.’’

The society is holding three workshops around the country to discuss the potential use of gene editing in the primary industries and to gauge New Zealanders’ views.

Prof Scott said one potential application of gene editing would be to speed up the time it took to produce new apple varieties.

‘‘New Zealand is known internationally for our apples, and there is strong commercial pressure to develop new and improved varieties but the process is slow, because it can take five years before any fruit is produced to start the evaluation and testing of potential new apple varieties.

‘‘Gene editing could offer the opportunity to temporarily remove the gene that slows down flowering — so the trees would flower in eight months instead of five years.’’

Another scenario the paper covers is using gene editing to make manuka diseaseresistant.

Lawyer and panel member Irene KereamaRoyal said myrtle rust and kauri dieback disease had people thinking about what could be done to conserve native taonga species.

‘‘Extracts of leaves and bark from manuka have been used for centuries by Maori and, with the growth in the manuka honey industry, manuka is now an important plant for New Zealand both culturally and economically. Should we use geneediting to create new varieties of manuka that are resistant to disease?’’

Massey University agronomist Dr James Miller said if gene editing was able to help protect manuka it should be evaluated.

He said recent planting of thousands of hectares, mostly on steep erosionprone hill country, would result in benefits for the environment and landowners, generating income from land which is often unproductive.

A third scenario is to use gene editing to make exotic conifer trees sterile.

Panel member Dr Phil Wilcox, who has more than 30 years’ experience in forestry research, said wilding trees were a big problem in New Zealand.

‘‘Not only do they outcompete native species, they invade and modify unique natural ecosystems, are costly to remove and can contribute to pollen allergies.’’

Dr Wilcox said gene editing could halt the production of cones and pollen in these species, ‘‘which would mean that when these trees are planted . . . they wouldn’t escape into places where they are not wanted’’. — NZME