Higher incomes for farmers, less herbicides and pesticides used in agriculture, and the emergence of new life-saving drugs-these are the main benefits of biotechnology and genetic engineering, their advocates say.

Biotechnology is one of five modern technologies, next to telecommunications, nanotechnology, power engineering and new materials, that will determine the world's economic development in the next several decades, says Prof. Tomasz Twardowski, head of the Polish Biotechnology Federation and a researcher who has spent the last few years promoting the achievements of genetic engineering in Poland.

Born in Poznań in 1949, Twardowski graduated with honors from Poznań's Adam Mickiewicz University's Department of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in 1971. Three years later he obtained a Ph.D. degree in chemical sciences at the Polish Academy of Sciences' (PAN) Institute of Organic Chemistry in Warsaw. In 1982 he earned a postdoctoral degree in biochemistry at the PAN Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics in Warsaw, and was made professor 10 years later.

Twardowski has been conducting research at the PAN Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in Poznań since 1974, and in 1995 also began working at the Technical University of Łódź's Institute of Technical Biochemistry (Department of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology). His scientific and research interests are enough to make anyone dizzy, if only for their unusual scope. Predominately, Twardowski is concerned with "the regulatory mechanisms of protein biosynthesis in eukaryotic systems, especially plants." The results of his latest research, carried out with a team of scientists from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, will be published later this year in the prestigious scientific periodical Oligonucleotides. "The paper is about the correlation between the function and structure of ribosomes-cell macromolecules inside which the polypeptide chain biosynthesis process takes place," Twardowski says. "We discovered a relationship between the structure of certain fragments of ribosomal ribonucleic acids and their function in ribonucleic acid."

Twardowski also conducts research on the use of proteins that can bind large amounts of iron in the body. One such protein is ferritin. "We are trying to find out how to use ferritin in treating anemia," Twardowski says.

He is also interested in legal and social issues related to biotechnology, including intellectual property rights, biosafety and social acceptance. "Sadly, Poles are still not convinced that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) should be used in farming and food processing," he says. There is much less doubt about using the achievements of biotechnology to make life-saving bio-pharmaceuticals like insulin and growth hormone, new materials and biofuels.

People's doubts are largely due to their lack of knowledge about both new technologies and previous methods used in plant cultivation, Twardowski says. "In reality, we have been consuming genetically modified food for decades," he says. "It's just that this food has been produced using traditional cross-breeding methods as a result of changes made to genetic codes," One example is triticale, a grain well known in Poland that is a hybrid of two cereals, wheat and rye, that never cross-breed under natural conditions, Twardowski says.

Just 10 years ago, two-thirds of Poles were ready to consume genetically modified foods, Twardowski says. Today two-thirds of the population are against GMOs. "It is in our interest to be something more than only consumers of products. It is important for us to become producers, to earn money and to introduce innovative technologies to our economy. If we fail to exploit this opportunity, other countries will do so. The market does not tolerate a vacuum. We will all be made to pay for a failure to develop modern biotechnology-with higher food prices and the loss of markets and jobs," says Twardowski. "There is no escaping innovative biotechnology," he adds, voicing his hope that the perception of GMOs in Poland will change soon.

Over the years, Twardowski has taken part in many science festivals, lectures and debates. He has been active in the Polish Biotechnology Federation, of which he is president in 2003-2009. He has been editor-in-chief of the scientific quarterly Biotechnologia since 1988. This January, he was one of several people to receive the "Promoter of Science 2007" title in a competition held by the Polish Press Agency (PAP) and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. "This award gave me a lot of pleasure, especially since promoting science is largely unappreciated in Poland," Twardowski says. "A lot is being said, but little is actually being done about it. Promoting science is still only a hobby of mine, like fishing or chess for other people."

As a scientist, Twardowski gained experience during his many stays abroad at institutions such as the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in Nutley, New Jersey, in the United States (1975-1976 and 1982-1983); and the Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Genetik in Berlin, Germany (1989-1991). Twardowski has written more than 70 original experimental papers, in addition to over 100 communiqués, 100-odd overviews, and 150 or so articles. He has authored, co-authored and edited 30 books, including Genetycznie modyfikowane organizmy (GMO) a środowisko (Genetically Modified Organisms and the Environment), KOD, Korzyści, Oczekiwania, Dylematy biotechnologii (Benefits, Expectations, Dilemmas of Biotechnology), 100 + 30 najczęściej zadawanych pytań na temat współczesnej biotechnologii (100 + 30 Frequently Asked Questions About Modern Biotechnology), and Biobezpieczeństwo biotechnologii (Biosafety of Biotechnology).

Twardowski has represented Poland in the work of biotechnology teams set up by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He is a member of Poland's Central Commission for Academic Titles and Degrees (1997-2009), and vice-chairman of the Biotechnology Committee (1991-2009). He has been a scientific consultant for institutions such as the State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN), the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. He has won many awards and distinctions. For his contribution to Polish science, he received the Knight's Cross of the Polonia Restituta Order in 2001.

BSZ