POSTECH has developed GM rice that can help treat anemia

(2009. 12. 22).

The team led by Professor An Gyun-heung of Life Sciences Department at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) have successfully developed a rice that can help treat anemia by injecting an “enhancer” DNA into the rice plant that activates the function of OsNAS3, the gene known to enhance the concentrations of iron and dietary zinc.  The findings have been published on December 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a U.S. science journal.
The team said that after conducting a four-week feed test on mice with anemia, it observed a sharp increase in the level of hemoglobin in the animals. Compared to those of naturally grown Dongjinbyeo rice, the levels of iron and zinc of the new rice were 2.9 times and 2.2 times higher respectively. Further, the rice has a 7 times higher content of iron that is combined with nicothiamine, which plays a key role in absorbing and transmitting iron and zinc, according to the team.