Professor Hiroshi Ezura: "Cultures created with NGTs should be considered as safe as those developed by conventional selection"

Reporter: In EU Member States we are witnessing a debate on GMO and NGTs cultivation. Farmers would like to grow plants that give higher yields and are more resistant to climate change, frost and drought through genetic modification, while non-governmental organizations and think-tanks argue that many of these plants would have negative effects on human health. What is the reality, in your view and from your extensive scientific experience?

Hiroshi Ezura: At the outset, I think GMOs and NGTs should be discussed separately. Genetic Modification is a technology that adds new genes to the genome that the crop has. Therefore, safety evaluations are conducted accordingly.　GMOs currently on the market are used only after their safety has been scientifically evaluated. They have a history of about tree decades of use, but there have been no cases of health hazards associated with them. Genome Editing is a technology that introduces targeted changes in endogenous genes that the crop has in its genome. Before discussing the safety of NGTs, you should know how the crops we eat have been bred. Plants undergo genetic changes, either naturally or artificially, during the process of cultivation and hybridization. Breeders select changes from among them that are useful to humans and accumulate them in their crops. As a result, plants have been improved into crops that are useful to humans. It can be said that the crops we eat today are a mass of changes that are useful to humans. Gene Editingis a technology that precisely and rapidly induces changes used in conventional breeding in the crop's original endogenous genes. On the other hand, the resulting changes are equivalent to those created by conventional mutation breeding. In this regard, crops created with NGTs should be considered as safe as those developed through conventional breeding.

Reporter: The New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) that the Europe is debating are a real unknown for most European citizens. How do they benefit intensive agriculture? Are there risks associated with the use of these technologies? If so, what is their level of risk?

Hiroshi Ezura: The advantage of NGTs is that crop breeding can be implemented efficiently and exactly. On the other hand, as explained in the previous question, crops produced by NGTs are considered equivalent to crops developed by conventional breeding. Therefore, the risks of NGT crops would be considered equivalent to those of crops produced by conventional breedings concluded by many risk assessment bodies across the globe including the European Food Safety Authority.

Reporter: How can biotechnology support the agri-food industry in our country? What benefits could we derive from the use of species realized through NGTs?

Hiroshi Ezura: It worth saying that the aim of the NGTs is to create new varieties but not new species. I am not aware of the challenges of the agri-food industry your country faces, so it is difficult to answer your question with specifics. I would say the following points: NGTs can complement current breeding activities and can achieve some of the desired outcomes more efficiently. Examples vary from traits that will benefit the farmer and the environment, to traits that will benefit the consumer like the GABA tomato. The use of NGTs to improve varieties will allow us to more quickly stabilize and improve the quality of our crops. I believe that agri-food industry using those crops will be more activated. And I believe it will have a positive effect on the economic activities of your country.

Reporter: What is the carbon footprint left in agriculture by NGTs? What impact do plants produced by NGTs have on reducing obesity among young people? Are there studies confirming that products from agriculture using NGTs are healthier than those from traditional agriculture?

Hiroshi Ezura:To answer the first question, NGTs are starting to be used to improve biomass plants (crops). It is hoped that the increased use of these improved biomass plants (crops) will contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the agricultural sector. I will answer your second question. Crops contain various substances that contribute to our health. For example, we have focused on GABA, and by increasing its content in tomato fruits, tomatoes can contribute to the improvement of high blood pressure in humans. Similarly, if we can make improvements to enhance its obesity-relieving components, we can potentially develop NGTs crops that are effective in improving obesity. Finally, I will answer the third question. The GABA tomatoes we have developed are exactly what you are looking for. Conventional tomatoes also contain GABA, but its content in conventional tomatoes is low, and one must eat 100 or 200 grams of tomatoes to expect its blood pressure-effecting action. This is an unreasonable amount for the average person to consume every day. On the other hand, the GABA content of our tomatoes has been increased using NGTs, so that a single mini-tomato provides the necessary amount of GABA. With this, I think you can eat it every day without any difficulty. Such efforts to improve the health functionality of agricultural products using NGTs are also being made elsewhere. If they come to be put to practical use in the near future, we will be able to lead a healthy life by eating them every day. Why not use wisdom and take advantage of the potential of NGTs?

Reporter: Thank you.