Institute For The Future

Turning Food into Medicine

A group of researchers in Japan are moving toward human testing of a genetically modified rice crop designed to treat allergies to cedar pollen. According to the New Scientist, the rice has been modified to include seven proteins common in cedar pollen. The proteins are attached to a portion of the rice grain that pass through the stomach undigested, allowing the proteins to circulate.The process mimics standard treatments for allergies, where doctors use repeated injections to try to help patients build up tolerance to the irritant causing an allergic reaction. The rice-based therapy would run about three to six months during allergy season.Thus far, researchers led by Fumio Takaiwa have shown that genetically modified rice can prevent allergies in mice and that the rice does not cause side effects in macaques. If successful, the researchers hope that the rice will be the first in a line of food-based medical interventions that encourage the public to warm up to genetically modified foods.