Recently, scientist at ETH in Zurich have engineered rice with a six-fold increased iron content (source). This was achieved by transferring two plant genes into the original rice variety. The genes include the information to produce the enzyme nicotianamin synthase, which mobilizes iron, and the protein ferritin, which stores iron.
Considering that according to the WHO about 2bn people worldwide suffer from iron deficiency, this scientific advancement could prove to improve the health of a large part of the population, especially in developing countries in Asia and Africa. Their research findings have been published in the online edition of the “Plant Biotechnology Journal”.
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