This is in response to the letter, "Smoking gun on genetic engineering," published last June 12. I support the writer's call for a public discussion of the merits of bringing in Bt-corn and other GMOs into the Philippine market. I mean, a thorough discussion not only of its scientific merits but also of its effect on the national economy. I hasten to add, however, that scientific arguments against it, in particular its safety, should be based on a careful reading of scientific literature. 

The argument that GMOs like Bt-corn can cause cancer because a boy who received gene-therapy subsequently developed leukemia is simply untenable. The SCID gene-therapy in question used retrovirus to insert the missing gene into the patient's genomic DNA, and apparently, the retrovirus had inserted itself incorrectly and possibly activated a different set of gene. Critics of this molecular technique were already aware of the risk of such mis-insertion. 


This is not the same as ingesting foodstuff containing a viral promoter in its DNA. It is extremely unlikely for such DNA to pass through the gastro-intestinal barrier intact, let alone sneak its way into the cell's nucleus without first getting chopped up. (Note that a viral promoter is only a short segment of the virus' genome, basically to induce bacteria to make multiple gene copies.) It would be horrible if foreign DNAs get incorporated this way as it would make real the saying, "You are what you eat." 

In our effort to clearly inform the public in our debates, we cannot resort to such charged generalizations as "genetic engineering can cause cancer." Asbestos can, so can a high dose of X-ray, but we never say chemistry or radiology can cause cancer. With our country falling behind our neighbors in scientific progress, and our leaders having no vision of a new knowledge-driven economy, the last thing we need now is anti-technology rhetoric.