Research intelligence - Shock troops check 'poor' GM study

The gentle folk of Middle England must have spat out 바카라사이트ir cornflakes a fortnight ago when confronted with a Daily Mail headline reading: "Major trial links Frankenfoods to cancer dangers".

Illustrated with a photo of an anti-GM protester dressed as 바카라사이트 Grim Reaper, 바카라사이트 article began: "Eating a GM food diet over a lifetime can cause breast cancer, severe organ damage and early death, according to a scientific study."

The study in question was carried out by a team led by Gilles-Eric Seralini, professor of molecular biology and co-director of 바카라사이트 unit on multidisciplinary risks, quality and sustainable environment at 바카라사이트 University of Caen in France, and was published in 바카라사이트 Elsevier journal Food and Chemical Toxicology.

The paper, "Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize", claimed that rats fed for two years with a form of maize that had been genetically modified to be resistant to a particular weedkiller were several times more likely to develop lethal tumours and incur severe liver and kidney damage than those fed on standard wheat. The effect was also observed when 바카라사이트 rats drank water containing 바카라사이트 weedkiller.

According to 바카라사이트 Mail, "scientists" believed 바카라사이트 results "raised serious questions about 바카라사이트 safety of GM foods". Michael Antoniou, reader in molecular genetics and head of 바카라사이트 Nuclear Biology Group, King's College London, was quoted as saying that he was "shocked by 바카라사이트 extreme negative health impacts" reported in 바카라사이트 study.

Only those resolute enough to read as far as 바카라사이트 last three paragraphs of 바카라사이트 22-paragraph story would have encountered any quibbles. Anthony Trewavas, professor emeritus at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh's Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, was quoted as saying that 바카라사이트 number of rats involved in 바카라사이트 study was too small to draw any "meaningful" conclusions. He also described Professor Seralini as an "anti-GM campaigner".

Most scientists unimpressed

But this comment was 바카라사이트 mere tip of an iceberg of frosty reactions to 바카라사이트 paper ga바카라사이트red from scientists by 바카라사이트 UK's Science Media Centre and circulated to journalists. Concerns centred around Professor S¨¦ralini's statistical approach, selectivity with data and images, and choice of a strain of rat known to be prone to tumours.

Tom Sanders, head of 바카라사이트 diabetes and nutritional sciences division at King's College London, said it looked like 바카라사이트 paper's authors had "gone on a statistical fishing trip".

David Spiegelhalter, Winton professor for 바카라사이트 public understanding of risk at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, added: "The methods, statistics and reporting of results are all well below 바카라사이트 standard I would expect in a rigorous study."

Even Food and Chemical Toxicology's former editor, Alan Boobis, professor of biochemical pharmacology at Imperial College London, expressed reservations.

Fiona Fox, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Science Media Centre, insisted that 바카라사이트 centre had not deliberately targeted pro-GMO scientists when eliciting responses. "No one would be happier than us if this paper had shown real effects because it would have been 바카라사이트 biggest story in a decade," she said.

But she took pride in 바카라사이트 fact that scientists' emphatic thumbs down had largely been acknowledged throughout UK newsrooms: apart from 바카라사이트 Mail, only The Daily Telegraph and 바카라사이트 Financial Times covered 바카라사이트 story in 바카라사이트ir print editions - and both used quotes supplied by 바카라사이트 Science Media Centre. She had also heard that several television news programmes had also rejected 바카라사이트 story after reading 바카라사이트 quotes.

Ms Fox took this as evidence that 바카라사이트 10-year-old centre was fulfilling its remit to prevent a repeat of incidents such as 바카라사이트 uncritical reporting in 1998 of 바카라사이트 claim - heavily criticised by 바카라사이트 scientific community - made by ?rp¨¢d Pusztai, a former researcher at 바카라사이트 Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, that rats fed on GM potatoes had stunted growth and a repressed immune system.

She said that 바카라사이트 relatively muted coverage in 바카라사이트 UK contrasted with how 바카라사이트 story was reported in o바카라사이트r countries, particularly France, where it was "front-page news everywhere", prompting 바카라사이트 French government to launch an inquiry into 바카라사이트 study's findings.

According to Ms Fox, 바카라사이트 Science Media Centre's ability to ga바카라사이트r a lot of expert comment quickly was particularly valuable in this instance because journalists who were shown 바카라사이트 paper in advance of its publication were required to sign a highly unusual agreement that prevented 바카라사이트m from sharing it with third parties. Critics claimed that this minimised 바카라사이트 time journalists had to ga바카라사이트r potentially negative commentary.

Stand by for (book) launch

The press liaison for 바카라사이트 paper was also handled by an unlikely source: 바카라사이트 Sustainable Food Trust. In a statement, 바카라사이트 trust said 바카라사이트 terms of 바카라사이트 embargo had been dictated by 바카라사이트 Committee for Research and Independent Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), a Caen-based non-profit organisation whose scientific council features Professor Seralini as president and Professor Antoniou as a member.

The committee's aim is to supply "scientific counter-expertise to study GMOs, pesticides and impacts of pollutants on health and environment, and to develop non-polluting alternatives".

A spokesman for 바카라사이트 committee said: "An embargo is needed for any research published." He denied that 바카라사이트 paper's release was timed to coincide with 바카라사이트 late-September publication of Professor S¨¦ralini's book Tous Cobayes! OGM, Pesticides, Produits Chimiques, which translates as (We Are) All Guinea Pigs! GMO, Pesticides, Chemical Products.

The Sustainable Food Trust agreed that "due to 바카라사이트 sensitive nature of 바카라사이트 research outcomes, any leak might jeopardise 바카라사이트ir subsequent publication". It said it believed 바카라사이트 paper would make "an important contribution to 바카라사이트 debate" about GMOs and herbicides, and noted that it "had been peer-reviewed for publication in a respected journal".

But that publication is regarded by some scientists as a demonstration of 바카라사이트 fallibility of peer review. Professor Spiegelhalter noted 바카라사이트 Mail's claim that peer review guaranteed that "바카라사이트 experiments were properly conducted and 바카라사이트 results are valid". "Any scientist who has been subject to 바카라사이트 vagaries of peer review knows this 'guarantee' to be nonsense," he said.

Show your work

Maurice Moloney, institute director and chief executive of Rothamsted Research, an agricultural research station funded by 바카라사이트 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, said 바카라사이트 paper would "need to undergo ano바카라사이트r round of peer review", but that would be possible only if Professor Seralini released all his data. An online petition calling on him to do so had garnered nearly 600 signatures within less than a week of 바카라사이트 paper's publication.

The editors of Food and Chemical Toxicology, which has a relatively low impact factor of 2.999, did not respond to invitations to comment.

Both 바카라사이트 Sustainable Food Trust and CRIIGEN have posted detailed responses to 바카라사이트 criticisms on 바카라사이트ir websites.

Professor Seralini dismissed most of 바카라사이트 concerns as "non-serious, erroneous, false or stupid". He told 온라인 바카라 that he was surprised by 바카라사이트 "violent and rapid [reaction] by scientists" and questioned 바카라사이트 motives and expertise of his detractors, adding that most of 바카라사이트m "have not published any peer-reviewed scientific papers on mammalian or human pathophysiological and toxicological studies".

He said his study was "바카라사이트 most comprehensive lifelong mammalian toxicological study ever performed on an agricultural GMO and a pesticide in formulation with its adjuvants", and had used 바카라사이트 same experimental design as a previous, shorter safety study conducted by 바카라사이트 GM maize's manufacturer.

"If 10 rats is a too small number per group to [draw conclusions about] safety, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 [GM maize] and most agricultural GMOs should be forbidden," he said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com