Tufts University 'apologises' over GM rice trial that used children, says Chinese media
While Tufts says it 'regrets' the study's deviations from certain protocols, Chinese state media reports the university has 'apologised' over the study
Tufts University announced on Wednesday in an official statement that one of its researchers had broken ethical rules while conducting a study on genetically modified “Golden Rice” in China’s Hunan province.
The statement was issued a year after a study co-authored by Tufts-affiliated researchers was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last August. It sparked controversy in China over the ethics of using primary-school children to determine the nutritional value of the rice, leading to the sacking of three Chinese scientists.
The research was led by Dr Guangwen Tang, who heads the Carotenoids and Health Laboratory at Tufts. It was conducted to determine whether Golden Rice could be used to fight vitamin deficiencies in developing nations.
In the study, researchers fed Golden Rice to a trial group of 24 children, aged six to eight in a Hunan school, and tracked the responses in their Vitamin A levels. The study concluded that a single serving of Golden Rice could provide more than 50 per cent of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A for the children.
“While the study data were validated and no health or safety concerns were identified, the research itself was found not to have been conducted in full compliance with IRB [Institutional Review Board] policy or federal regulations,” Tufts said in its statement.
Tufts also said researchers had cut corners obtaining reviews and approvals in China. And they also failed to explain adequately the genetically-modified nature of Golden Rice to relevant parties.