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Genetically Modified Salmon (Alaska)
AquAdvantage Salmon is an Atlantic salmon developed by AquBounty technologies and was approved by the FDA in 2015. It contains modified genes that enable it to grow two times faster than traditional species. Genetically modified salmon are less likely to pose additional risk to the environment. Current commercially produced salmon grow on man made farms and are mostly made sterile through non-GM methods to prevent interbreeding with wild salmon. -
Blight resistant potato
This potato is resistant to the blight that caused the Irish potato famine years ago and that still does $5 billion damage to the potato industry each year. -
Golden Rice (Southeast Asia)
Produced by the International Rice Research Institute, golden rice has a higher vitamin A content than regular strains of rice. It was produced to address malnutrition, specifically vitamin A deficiency. While it hasn't been produced commercially yet, golden rice has been shown to increase vitamin A in humans with no negative side effects. The Golden Rice project won the Patents for Humanity Award in 2015, given by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. -
DroughtGuard Corn
This corn, made by Genuity, uses water more efficiently than regular corn, which is critical during drought conditions. This technology uses 'cold shock protein B' to allow the corn plant to maintain protein production during drought conditions that it otherwise would be unable to. -
Anti-pest Potato
This potato plant is engineered to produce insecticidal RNAs that specifically targets pests. This plant does not produce pesticides, but instead damages vital genes of the potato beetle. -
Vitamin-fortified bananas
The WHO estimates that between a quarter and half of a million children go blind each year because of vitamin A deficiency. Bananas are a staple in some African countries, so this crop would serve the same purpose as golden rice in delivering vitamin A. -
Disease Resistant Bananas
A banana specie Cavendish is now facing a fungal disease that can potentially wipe out bananas. Traditional breeding methods have repeatedly failed to introduce fungus resistance to Cavendish specie. Banana planters have to spray massive doses of fungicides and this method becomes less effective as fungus become more resistant to the spray. However, the introduction of fungal resistant gene into banana through GM technology might become a viable way to save bananas. -
Hypoallergenic Apples (Denmark, Netherlands)
Some people experience mild apple allergies including itchy lips and tongues. Researchers from the European ISAFRUIT collective have developed apples that have a lower amount of allergens through the process of gene "silencing." Scientists have essentially "shut off" certain genes that cause allergic reactions. This may eliminate allergic reactions many people have to apples. -
Vaccine Carrying Potatoes
The vaccine carrying potato is a genetically modified potato that carries a vaccine for hepatitis B. Despite the availability of vaccines, many countries do not have accessibility to them due to lack of economic resources or refrigerating technologies. Vaccine carrying potatoes may solve the problems of high cost, inaccessibility and lack of professional health-care workers in many developing countries and save over 350 million people who have hepatitis B.
