Richard Green
Former Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Manager
Expert Bio
Richard received his BSc degree in Microbiology from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. He then worked in Biopharmaceuticals for many years. His work involved culturing and growing genetically engineered cell cultures of all kinds, for the production of pharmaceutical drugs. He wore many hats throughout the years, from designing and conducting experiments geared to improving the manufacturing process, interacting with the FDA, and running a group that investigated and determined the impact of deviations that happened during various stages of production.
Having seen the acceptance of genetically engineered medications, Richard was surprised to learn of the controversy surrounding the application of the technology in agriculture. This led him to learn more about those agricultural applications, to see if there really was cause for concern for a technology that he had seen so successfully applied in medicine. His research has led him to publish a few articles as a guest writer for the Skepti-Forum. Skepti-Forum is a platform for evidence-based discussions of science-based issues like genetically engineered crops.
Studies, Articles and Answers
Showing 2 out of 2 results
Question
Q: What pharmaceutical drugs are derived from genetically modified plants?
A: There are not many as yet. I was only able to find one. On May 1, 2012, the FDA approved its first plant-cell based recombinant drug, Elelyso for treating Gaucher’s disease, a rare genetic enzyme deficiency. It is made using genetically engineered carrot cells. Elelyso is manufactured by growing the plant cells in bioreactors. This production method is typically used for the most common types of organisms that are genetically engineered to produce a pharmaceutical drug (protein). Those frequently used organisms are bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. The [...]
A: There are not many as yet. I was only able to find one. On May 1, 2012, the FDA approved its first plant-cell based recombinant drug, Elelyso for treating Gaucher’s disease, a rare genetic enzyme deficiency. It is made using genetically engineered carrot cells. Elelyso is manufactured by growing the plant cells in bioreactors. This production method is typically used for the most common types of organisms that are genetically engineered to produce a pharmaceutical drug (protein). Those frequently used organisms are bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. The [...]
GMO Basics How GMOs Are MadeQuestion
Q: What pharmaceutical drugs are derived from genetically modified plants?
A: There are not many as yet. I was only able to find one. On May 1, 2012, the FDA approved its first plant-cell based recombinant drug, Elelyso for treating Gaucher’s disease, a rare genetic enzyme deficiency. It is made using genetically engineered carrot cells. Elelyso is manufactured by growing the plant cells in bioreactors. This production method is typically used for the most common types of organisms that are genetically engineered to produce a pharmaceutical drug (protein). Those frequently used organisms are bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. The [...]
A: There are not many as yet. I was only able to find one. On May 1, 2012, the FDA approved its first plant-cell based recombinant drug, Elelyso for treating Gaucher’s disease, a rare genetic enzyme deficiency. It is made using genetically engineered carrot cells. Elelyso is manufactured by growing the plant cells in bioreactors. This production method is typically used for the most common types of organisms that are genetically engineered to produce a pharmaceutical drug (protein). Those frequently used organisms are bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells. The [...]
GMO Basics How GMOs Are Made