Writing for Newsroom, Lauren Baal recalls that in 1997 a Scottish biotechnology company, PPL Therapeutics NZ, was granted approval from the Environmental Risk Management Authority (now the Environmental Protection Authority) to experiment with genetically modified transgenic sheep in the Waikato to create medical therapies for cystic fibrosis sufferers.

The process involved in the trial is known as biopharming, in which animal or plant host organisms are genetically engineered to contain human genes so they can effectively operate as cellular factories, producing pharmaceutical substances such as antibodies, proteins and vaccines, for human medical use within their tissues.

PPL’s trial was the first livestock field trial approved in the country.

The article says:

Transgenic rams containing human genes were imported, bred with ewes, and their progeny were to express a protein in their milk that would be extracted and used as an experimental drug.

Clinical trials using this protein were already underway in Europe and the United States, and while early results showed some promise, during phase two testing, several participants started having respiratory issues and dropped out. Delays in further development of the medication and disappointing results led to the end of the experiment, and ultimately PPL was liquidated following a withdrawal of support from investors, Bayer (formally known as Monsanto).

The experiment in Waikato lasted seven years and around 3000 sheep were bred for it.

After the liquidation of PPL, all genetic material was destroyed,

For reasons set out in the Newsroom article, fewer than 20 applications have been approved by the EPA since the 1990s.

Most recently the Bioeconomy Science Institute, formerly AgResearch, declared it has no plans to experiment with genetically modified animals in New Zealand after closing its containment facility last year, but are exploring options with overseas research partners.

But Lauren Baal says plant biopharming has much potential to be a widely accepted method of developing genetically engineered medications.

This technology offers not only extraordinary opportunities for developing human pharmaceuticals, but also for creating more sustainable materials, industrial chemicals, and fortified foods. It can also support conservation efforts. For instance, plants can be bred to produce a signal that indicates contamination from heavy metals, industrial pollutants, or to show they are under stress from drought, cold, UV radiation, viral or fungal infections, or nutrient deficiencies.

The technology is scalable, stable, cost effective, has a lower risk of transferrable diseases. Plants have short growth cycles, which could mean more rapid responses to things like vaccine development in an emergency. And of course there are fewer ethical concerns around the suffering of sentient beings.

Importantly, this technology is not new, it has been in development since the 1980s (the first protein expressed through a plant was a human growth hormone) meaning there is a well-established international field of research to draw and build on.

Medical research is typically the most accepted, well funded, and profitable of genetic engineering ventures and is likely to be more acceptable than animal biopharming, Lauren Baal contends.

But there are still ethical considerations – for example, concerning the use of tobacco plants as host organisms.

The delicate balancing act of preserving hard-earned safeguards with innovative technological opportunities is currently playing out with the debates over the Gene Technology Bill, and biopharming is just one case study of how this is deeply rooted, literally and figuratively, in Aotearoa’s soil, identity, and legislation.

As these technologies advance globally, Lauren Baal says, New Zealand must modernise its regulatory framework to include cultural values, public investment, and meaningful engagement with te ao Māori, to ensure that novel technologies are neither rejected reflexively nor adopted uncritically.

Lauren is a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland