Use of Gene Editing in USDA Research

The Science Advisory Council was established in FY2016 as a subcommittee of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board by the Chief Scientist as a result of recommendations from the 2012 report on Agricultural Preparedness by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The Council\u27s charge is to provide advice and guidance, on a scientific basis, on the overall strength, practicality, and direction of agricultural research, including emerging technology and scientific issues and report any findings publicly to the NAREEE Advisory Board. The USDA Chief Scientist first asked the Council to examine rigor and reproducibility in USDA science. The second was to review the technology of Gene Editing in view of its possible use by USDA to address challenges. The term gene editing or genome editing is a generally considered a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, deleted or replaced in the genome of a living organism using engineered nucleases, sometimes referred to using a common description of molecular scissors. The nucleases used in this function create breaks in the target locations in the genome. These breaks are repaired leading to specific edits. There are currently a series of engineered nucleases being used to affect these edits. One of the most commonly known is the CRISPR-Cas system. In traditional breeding, a desired phenotype is observed and then if the approach is available, the expense warrants it and the tools are available; the genetic basis for the phenotype is studied and elucidated. In the use of a gene editing approach, a reverse of traditional breeding is done in that a sequence of DNA is modified and a phenotypic response is monitored. In this sense of study, gene editing holds great promise to understand better the role of single genes and their possible effect on a product and to modify them for improved human value. Gene editing is a tool to be used by molecular researchers, hopefully in consultations with breeders, to enhance the search for improved products and solutions. It joins many other tools used by USDA scientists such as selective breeding, cross breeding, marker assisted selection / genomic selection, etc. to improve agricultural production, sustainability and health

Biography: Patsy Brannon

2011 Biograph

Biography: Patsy Brannon

Biography of Patsy Brannon, Professor, Division of Nutritional Science

Some Fad Diets' Promises Sound Too Good to Be True

This item is part of the Arizona Land and People (formerly Progressive Agriculture in Arizona) archive. It was digitized from a physical copy provided by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at The University of Arizona. For more information about this periodical, please email CALS Publications at [email protected]

Iron Supplementation during Pregnancy and Infancy: Uncertainties and Implications for Research and Policy

Iron is particularly important in pregnancy and infancy to meet the high demands for hematopoiesis, growth and development. Much attention has been given to conditions of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficient anemia (IDA) because of the high global prevalence estimated in these vulnerable life stages. Emerging and preliminary evidence demonstrates, however, a U-shaped risk at both low and high iron status for birth and infant adverse health outcomes including growth, preterm birth, gestational diabetes, gastrointestinal health, and neurodegenerative diseases during aging. Such evidence raises questions about the effects of high iron intakes through supplementation or food fortification during pregnancy and infancy in iron-replete individuals. This review examines the emerging as well as the current understanding of iron needs and homeostasis during pregnancy and infancy, uncertainties in ascertaining iron status in these populations, and issues surrounding U-shaped risk curves in iron-replete pregnant women and infants. Implications for research and policy are discussed relative to screening and supplementation in these vulnerable populations, especially in developed countries in which the majority of these populations are likely iron-replete

Reproducibility and Rigor In REE\u27s Portfolio of Research

The Science Advisory Council was established in FY2016 as a subcommittee of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board to provide advice and guidance, on a scientific basis, on the overall strength, practicality, and direction of agricultural research, including emerging technology and scientific issues and report any findings publicly to the NAREEE Advisory Board. In spring of 2016, the USDA Science Advisory Council was first charged by the Chief Scientist to examine a number of controversial and challenging issues. The first was to address the general subject of reproducibility in the agricultural and nutrition related sciences. General background reading was assigned to members and first review of the issue was conducted in a face to face meeting on May 24th, 2016. This report reflects the understanding and consensus of the advisory council in this matter. The issue of rigor should actually be appreciated across three specific understandings. This approach was recently discussed in a National Science Foundation report of a year ago (Ref 1) where these understandings were very well outlined. Our goal in guiding USDA on this issue is to help ensure that all studies, extramural and intramural, achieve the goal of being reproducible, replicable and generalizable. Throughout this report we will take the term rigor to include the three concepts of reproducibility, replicability and generalizability

Vitamin D: Moving Forward to Address Emerging Science

The science surrounding vitamin D presents both challenges and opportunities. Although many uncertainties are associated with the understandings concerning vitamin D, including its physiological function, the effects of excessive intake, and its role in health, it is at the same time a major interest in the research and health communities. The approach to evaluating and interpreting the available evidence about vitamin D should be founded on the quality of the data and on the conclusions that take into account the totality of the evidence. In addition, these activities can be used to identify critical data gaps and to help structure future research. The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health has as part of its mission the goal of supporting research and dialogues for topics with uncertain data, including vitamin D. This review considers vitamin D in the context of systematically addressing the uncertainty and in identifying research needs through the filter of the work of ODS. The focus includes the role of systematic reviews, activities that encompass considerations of the totality of the evidence, and collaborative activities to clarify unknowns or to fix methodological problems, as well as a case study using the relationship between cancer and vitamin D