VISITA donde el DR. MARC VAN MONTAGUPRECURSOR EN LA PRODUCCION DE PLANTAS TRANSGENICAS
En una misión tecnológica tuve la gran oportunidad de conocer al padre de las plantas transgénicas, el Dr. Marc Van Montagu, en la fotografía de la derecha el Gurú de la transgenia ubicado al centro. Este investigador tan destacado vive en la hermosa ciudad de Bruselas, y ha desarrrollado sus mayores logros en la Universidad de Gante; que es nuestro destino principal de este viaje para conocer los laboratorios de microarrays y de micropropagación vegetativa.
Las primeras plantas transgénicas se produjeron en el mundo a principios de los años 80 en el laboratorio de Marc Van Montagu, en la Universidad de Gante (Bélgica), y un mexicano, el ingeniero bioquímico Luis Rafael Herrera Estrella, tiene el orgullo de haber participado en el grupo de investigadores que realizó esa proeza científica.A la distancia, cuando las plantas genéticamente modificadas no son sólo objeto de experimento, sino de intensas polémicas, y su comercialización ya involucra millonarias inversiones de firmas trasnacionales, este científico está convencido de que los transgénicos ''llegaron para quedarse" y a los agricultores mexicanos no les queda otra alternativa que incorporar estos avances a sus métodos de producción.
Era el año de 1976, cuando el estudio de transgénicos estaba en pañales. Los genes comenzaban a ser aislados en el laboratorio y todavía no se analizaban organismos más complejos como las plantas y los animales.
Marc Van Montagu (b.Ghent, 10 November 1933) is a Belgian molecular biologist. He was full Professor and director of the Laboratory of Genetics at the faculty of Sciences at Ghent University (Belgium) and scientific director of the Genetics Department of the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB). Together with Jozef Schell he founded the biotech company Plant Genetic Systems Inc. (Belgium) in 1982, of which he was Scientific Director and member of the board of Directors. Marc Van Montagu was also involved in founding the biotech company CropDesign, of which he was a Board member from 1998 to 2004. He is president of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) and of the Public Research Responsibility Initiative (PRRI).
Together with his colleague Prof. Jeff Schell, Marc Van Montagu discovered the gene transfer mechanism between Agrobacterium and plants, which resulted in the development of methods to alter Agrobacterium into an efficient delivery system for gene engineering and to create transgenic plants. He developed plant molecular genetics, in particular molecular mechanisms for cell proliferation and differentiation and response to abiotic stresses (high light, ozone, cold, salt and drought) and constructed transgenic crops (tobacco, rape seed, corn) resistant to insect pest and tolerant to novel herbicides. His work with poplar trees resulted in engineering of trees with improved pulping qualities.
He has received numerous outstanding awards for his pioneering work, including the prestigious Japan Prize. He has been a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences since 1986, the agricultural Academy of Russia and France, the Academy of Engineering of Sweden and the Italian Academy of Sciences dei XL.
He holds 6 Doctor Honoris Causa Degrees. In 1990 he was granted the title of Baron by Baudouin of Belgium.
Together with his colleague Prof. Jeff Schell, Marc Van Montagu discovered the gene transfer mechanism between Agrobacterium and plants, which resulted in the development of methods to alter Agrobacterium into an efficient delivery system for gene engineering and to create transgenic plants. He developed plant molecular genetics, in particular molecular mechanisms for cell proliferation and differentiation and response to abiotic stresses (high light, ozone, cold, salt and drought) and constructed transgenic crops (tobacco, rape seed, corn) resistant to insect pest and tolerant to novel herbicides. His work with poplar trees resulted in engineering of trees with improved pulping qualities.
He has received numerous outstanding awards for his pioneering work, including the prestigious Japan Prize. He has been a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences since 1986, the agricultural Academy of Russia and France, the Academy of Engineering of Sweden and the Italian Academy of Sciences dei XL.
He holds 6 Doctor Honoris Causa Degrees. In 1990 he was granted the title of Baron by Baudouin of Belgium.
por otra parte la ciudad de Brusealas......
Bruselas (Bruxelles en francés, Brussel en neerlandés, Brüssel en alemán), capital de Bélgica y sede de las principales instituciones de la Unión Europea (UE), por lo que comúnmente se la denomina "capital de Europa", aunque oficialmente no es considerada como tal.
La ciudad de Bruselas como tal tiene una población de 146.000 habitantes (2006), que se eleva en su área metropolitana a 1,71 millones.
Bruselas es también sede política de la Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN).
La ciudad de Bruselas como tal tiene una población de 146.000 habitantes (2006), que se eleva en su área metropolitana a 1,71 millones.
Bruselas es también sede política de la Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN).
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