1.State board OKs genetically modified microalgae on Big Island
2.Nancy Redfeather of Hawaii GEAN reports on what's happened

EXCERPTS FROM ITEM 2: This type of "field trial" of a biopharmaceutical algae has never been attempted before in the United States. All government agencies, FDA, USDA/APHIS, and the EPA had waived oversight of the trial.

Dr R. Malcolm Brown Jr., who holds a Chair in Plant Cell Biology at the University of Texas at Austin, sent this message to the board: "Hawaii is still the supreme ecosystem on earth to understand the dynamics of evolution and natural selection. Let's not forever lose this opportunity because a few commercial operations thoughtlessly tried to construct mass scaleup of genetically modified organisms in Hawaii."

Imaginative projections of future revenues and the promise of a few medium paying jobs, was enough to convince the Board to "weigh" the risks of contamination of the algal environment and the "perceived future benefits" to the economy.
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1.State board OKs genetically modified microalgae on Big Island
By Associated Press
http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=5647

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) - The state Board of Agriculture gave its approval today to test and grow a genetically modified microalgae at a lab near Kona.

Mera Pharmaceuticals will begin the process immediately to import the microalgae from a California laboratory, even as opponents seek to block the permit. The permit was approved on a six-to-two vote after nearly three hours of testimony and an hour of discussion.

Henry Curtis, executive director of Life of the Land, told the board that the nonprofit organization will file for a contested case hearing.

The majority of those who testified were against the project and were concerned about unintentional releases of the organism.

Officials from Mera told the board that the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii microalgae is harmless to humans and has no potential to contaminate the food chain.

Mera seeks to develop the algae into drugs to treat asthma, inflammations and cancer.

The algae will be grown at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.
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2.Nancy Redfeather of Hawaii GEAN reports

Dear GM Watch,

Yesterday, the Board of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture approved a permit for Mera and Rincon Pharmaceuticals to begin importing immediately 7 strains of genetically engineered algae into Kona on the island of Hawaii to be grown in an outdoor phytobioreactor system at Keahole Point at the state's aquaculture park NELHA. These strains of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were engineered with 7 different monoclonal human antibodies, hormones, and interleukins.

This type of "field trial" of a biopharmaceutical algae has never been attempted before in the United States. All government agencies, FDA, USDA/APHIS, and the EPA had waived oversight of the trial.

Native Algal systems have not been well documented, and basic knowledge of algal systems and their relationship to the eco-foundations of life were not well understood by the public or the board. Mera and Rincon's last minute attempt to conduct basic environmental experiments of survivability was well received by the Board of Agriculture. No peer reviewed studies or studies of any kind proving their claims of "no harm to the environment or human health" were included in the proposal to HDOA.

Written and oral testimony by the public was overwhelming opposed to the project, but after 3 1/2 hours the board decided to approve the project ignoring testimony and reports by a number of local and mainland scientists and algae experts including R. Malcolm Brown Jr., the Johnson and Johnson Centennial Chair in Plant Cell Biology at the University of Texas at Austin, Professor Joe Cummins and Mae-Won Ho, Doug Sherman, Marti Crouch, and local algae experts from UH Manoa and the State Biologist and Maui County District Health Officer.

Imaginative projections of future revenues and the promise of a few medium paying jobs, was enough to convince the Board to "weigh" the risks of contamination of the algal environment and the "perceived future benefits" to the economy.

Dr. Brown's message to the board that "Hawaii is still the supreme ecosystem on earth to understand the dynamics of evolution and natural selection. Let's not forever lose this opportunity because a few commercial operations thoughtlessly tried to construct mass scaleup of genetically modified organisms in Hawaii," fell on deaf ears. It was indeed a sad day for the native algae of Hawaii island.

Aloha,
Nancy Redfeather
Director - Hawaii GEAN