Novozymes Guiding principles for accessing genetic resources
-and experience with the ABS management tool
Lene Lange, professor, dr.scient.
Science Director, Molecular Biotechnology
Unlocking the magic of nature
Novozymes: ”Unlocking the magic of Nature”
• Novozymes technology platform builds on
biologically contained production of fungal and
bacterial proteins in fungi and bacteria
• We chose ”Unlocking the magic of Nature” as our
main branding when we de-merged from Novo
Nordisk in 2000
• Discovery from nature is one of our corner stones!
Sustainable use: Microbial isolation does not put pressure
on the environment and Enzymes are eco-friendly solutions
Replacing
chemicals
Saving energy
Diminishing
pollution
Better use of
raw materials
Saving water
Enzymes
replace
bromate in
bread
production
Detergents
with enzymes
wash the
clothes at
lower
temperatures
Enzymes in
animal feed
reduce the
amount of
phosphorus in
the dung
Enzymes
sqeeze out all
of the juice
from the fruits
With enzymes,
tanneries use
less rinse water
in leather
production
industrial
enzymes
function:
Starch/fuel
100 oC
textile
baking
detergent
feed
1
pH
dairy
12
Personal
care
food
5 oC
-under very varying
process conditions
in the different
market segments!
Novozymes Annual Environmental Report
-includes a CBD update and
-is part of the Tripple Bottom Line reporting
How to be in CBD compliance
• Before access and transfer of any biological material
(soil sample, fruiting body, pure culture):
• Priof informed consent must be achieved = PIC
• from proper national governmental authority
• under a contract of mutually agreed terms = MAT
Desirable: CBD should not be a barrier!
• CBD should not be a barrier for scientific studies, for
international collaboration, or for sustainable
exploitation of nature´s biodiversity
• CBD compliance should be achievable through
win/win collaborations between the country of origin
and the user
• without exceeding red tape!
• How do we get there?
Novozymes Guiding Principles (1995): we will do
our utmost to ensure that:
• no microbial strains or natural material obtained without prior
informed consent from the country of origin will be included in
screening
• all such accessed materials must be covered by contracts
and/or material transfer agreements
• conditions should be on mutually agreed terms and should
include benefit sharing, intellectual property rights and
technology transfer where appropriate
• contracts should be cleared by the proper authority in the
country of origin
• the country of origin should do the collections and will be
named in relevant publications and patent applications
The Basic principle:
Establishing win/win collaborations
• Include both monetary and non-monetary
compensations (viz technology transfer and capacity
building)
• Include compensations to country of origin for the
mere option to screen accessed strains AND
benefits if later commercialized
• Prioritize scientist to scientist collaboration
Accessing the “magic of nature”
-only one part of the discovery pool
• Biodiversity directly from nature
• Man-made diversity
• In silico discovery
•
CBD in perspective:
importance of new pools of diversity is increasing
• genome sequencing
• => more genes from fewer organisms
• other types of organisms as gene donors
• not only microbes; alsoplants and animals
• synthetic genes for heterologue expression
• family and domain shuffling give new diversity
• not just Protein Engineering
• sophisticated bioinformatics searching tools
• searching also among unknowns
Many Grey areas: are they covered by CBD or not?
• isolation from exported/traded products?
• normally you have exhausted your rights when
selling the product, if not specifically stated
• botanical gardens?
• seed borne microbes?
• universally ubiquitous species?
• accessions from before 01.12.93?
Rodney Roberts - USDA
Five CBD Pitfals
• Mismatch of expectations!
• Middle-men takes the
benefit!
• Difficulties to get PIC!
• Obstacles for Scientist to
Scientist collaboration!
?
More CBD Obstacles
• lack of implemented national legislation
• many countries simply out of the loop!
• lack of contract and patenting experience
• difficult to be sitting on both sides of the table
• lack of knowledge about differences in the various business
segments
• (e.g. profit margin differences between pharma and industrial)
• academia not fully implementing CBD!
• we risk that the hits end up in industry and when we ask for PIC it
cannot be provided => we can not evaluate the new hit
The SECO ABS Management Tool
• Recommendations regarding
•
•
•
•
•
PIC,
MAT,
Benefit sharing,
Conservation and sustainable use,
Information and transparency
• are useful and well described.
• In full accordance with the NZ guiding principles
• The recommendations regarding TK and on
Community and Indigenous peoples participation are
more complex
Additional points to be considered for the ABS
management tool –as good practice!
•
•
•
•
•
•
provider to do the collection
building on scientist to scientist collaboration
duplicate sample to be left in country of origin
disclosure of country of origin and PIC details
importance and value of technology transfer
integration of CBD compliance in the R&D project
structure and decision process of companies
• benefit sharing, reflecting the contribution made
• progressively more screening work done in provider
country => fewer strains / higher benefit
• guiding principles for use of culture collections
• (ABS:OK from organization governing the collection?)
Accessing from International Culture collections,
-an important CBD issue
• A Code of Conduct for accessing culture collection strains is
needed
Recommendation for code of conduct on
CBD/Culture collections
• Purchased strains from culture collections should be
freely included into both scientific and industrial
screening/evaluations but only moved into
commercialization when CBD compliance has been
ensured
• The establishment of an international fund for such
CBD compensations should be considered
The international discussion:
there are three major outstanding CBD issues
• Introduction of a Certificate of Origin to track genetic
resources
• Integration of CBD in the patent system?
• done e.g. by making a voluntary or compulsory disclosure
of origin a demand for patent application completion
• How could indigenous people´s rights be ensured
• even if the Biodiversity Convention builds on and
specifically states that the biological resources are the
government´s souvereign rights
Thank you for your attention!
Unlocking the magic of nature