Developing transgenic rice at the University of Costa Rica: Perspectives and considerations for managing intellectual property rights

The Rice Biotechnology Program of the Center for Research in Cellular and Molecular Biology (RBP-CIBCM) at the University of Costa Rica (UCR) started in 1990 the molecular characterization of the rice hoja blanca virus (RHBV) genome, and the development of plant tissue culture protocols for regeneration of local Costa Rican indica rice varieties, aiming at the production of transgenic plants resistant to the virus. The next research phase focused on the, development of resistant rice lines by means of genetic engineering of the Costa Rican varieties with RHBV sequences, in order to lend resistance to the virus and to the herbicide PPT, by expressing the bar gene. Transgenic lines produced were evaluated for their resistance to the RHBV and for PPT resistance under local field conditions, as well as for agronomic performance. Progress is currently leading to a shift from the testing of concepts and building up experience in production of transgenic plants, to field evaluation and deployment of modified rice varieties to farmers. For this purpose, the RBP-CIBCM is following a multi-step approach involving food and environmental safety assessment, and identifying and solving intellectual property rights (IPR) issues. The main goals are to design and implement IPR management and education policies, and to perform and audit the technologies and inputs used, and the ways in which these affect the commercialization of the final products. The Program is simultaneously exploring innovative ways to protect transgenic seeds and other research outputs.