THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE
Dear Friends and Colleagues
GE Organisms that Spread in the Environment Can Rapidly Damage Biodiversity
A new report examines the consequences of genetic engineering interventions into evolutionary processes. New techniques, such as CRISPR/Cas, enable radical interventions into the genomes of plants and animals.
The report concludes that releases of genetically engineered (GE) organisms able to propagate and spread throughout natural populations can rapidly damage the stability of ecosystems and endanger the health of humans, animals and plants. These novel organisms can disturb or disrupt the networks of biological diversity in various ways, ultimately accelerating species extinction.
The traits of GE organisms as they appear in the laboratory or in controlled experimental conditions can be considerably different in changed environmental conditions or after several generations. Against this backdrop, it would be irresponsible to release GE organisms that can spread and propagate in the environment without any possibility of effective spatio-temporal control. It is thus highly questionable whether risk assessment can come to any meaningful and robust results. Extensive and long-term release experiments would be needed to research the actual effects: the consequences, however, would, in many cases, already be irreversible.
The report recommends that effective limits be set for genetic engineering so that it does not additionally contribute to and accelerate the destabilisation of ecosystems and loss of species. In this context, two regulatory responses are crucial in dealing with ‘old’ and ‘new’ genetic engineering: (1) Starting with the respective method, all organisms with genomes that have been changed using genetic engineering techniques must be subject to regulation and mandatory authorisation even if no additional genes are inserted; and (2) The spatio-temporal controllability of GE organisms must be ensured. This means that each and every release must rigorously adhere to effective control and to the possibility of retrieval.
With best wishes,
Third World Network
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Malaysia
Email: twn@twnetwork.org
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GENETIC ENGINEERING ENDANGERS THE PROTECTION OF SPECIES
– Why the spread of genetically engineered organisms into natural populations has to be prevented
Christoph Then
Testbiotech
May 2020
www.testbiotech.org/sites/default/files/Genetic%20engineering%20endangers%20protection%20of%20species.pdf
Summary
This report is primarily concerned with the consequences of genetic engineering interventions into evolutionary processes. Leading scientists working in the field of ‘new’ genetic engineering are already talking about the ‘end of the beginning’ (George Church, 2012): in future, new life forms will no longer evolve from natural processes of self-reproduction and self-organisation, they will, instead, be designed by scientists. New genetic engineering technologies, such as the CRISPR/Cas gene scissors, are set to play an important role in this development. Genetic engineering can indeed enable scientists to bypass natural mechanisms of genetic regulation and inheritance. We now have the technical ability to create cells and organisms that are very different to the ’first cell’ (Popper, 1995). The advent of these new technologies means we can make interventions into the ‘germline of biodiversity’ and use designs from the ‘gene lab’ to influence the biosphere. Biotechnological mutagens such gene scissors used for the interventions in the genome can create specific patterns of change, generating specific re-combinations of genetic information, even if no additional genes are inserted. These associated new biological traits go along with new risks, in particular, if the organisms are released into the environment and spread throughout natural populations.
‘Monarch flies’ – an example
‘Monarch flies’ were developed using CRISPR/Cas gene-scissor technology and are a useful current example with which to illustrate associated risks. Just three small changes in individual base pairs in their genome have effectively made the fruit flies resistant to toxins in specific plants. They now can ingest the toxin and thereby might become poisonous to predators (Karageorgi et al., 2019). This report warns about the possible consequences of releasing masses of new genetic combinations into the environment. While the ‘Monarch flies’ are not planned for release, there are plans to release many other genetically engineered insects, trees, rodents, corals and microbes. Some of these releases are proposed for the protection of species. This report contains examples of genetically engineered trees, corals and bees. Based on fundamental evolutionary principles as well as observations regarding species extinction and experience with invasive species, our report comes to an important conclusion: releases of genetically engineered organisms able to propagate and spread throughout natural populations can rapidly damage the stability of ecosystems. These novel organisms can disturb or disrupt the networks of biological diversity in various ways, ultimately accelerating species extinction.
The threat of ‘biological dementia’
In this context, it should be pointed out that DNA is the basis of inheritance and also functions as the memory of our shared evolution to present life forms. In fact, it represents around four billion years of shared evolution. The way in which information is stored and continuously changed is subject to multiple biological mechanisms that have evolved to protect existing biodiversity, and whose purpose is to enable coherent further development. The information stored in the genome is not only a mirror to the past, it also points to the present and the future of biodiversity. This ‘shared memory’ enables the ability of existing living organisms to adapt and interact in ecosystems, within species and between species. If species are lost, then this ‘shared memory’ might also be lost. It is not only the extinction of species that can lead to ‘biological dementia’: interventions into the genome can change the collective information in its structure, consistency and function as well as trigger disruptive processes. Based on the principles of the modern theory of evolution, one could speak of “appearance of great masses of disharmonious gene patterns” which may endanger “the integrity of the historically evolved arrays of genotypes which are the existing species” (Dobzhanski, 1951).
New genetic engineering technology poses an enormous challenge
This report shows that new genetic engineering technology poses an enormous challenge in risk assessment:
› In order to assess risks, it is not sufficient to simply look at individual genetic changes in isolation. Instead, new patterns of genetic changes and new combinations of genetic information must be considered in context with the genome. The relevant questions of biology and risk that need to be asked are often much more complex than has so far been the case in genetic engineering.
› To make risk assessment meaningful, it must include the tools used in the process, all the steps in the process and all intended and unintended changes. This is because all the desired and undesired effects and their associated risks will be influenced by the respective technique used in the process.
› With the advent of the new genetic engineering technologies, there are plans to engineer the biological traits of natural populations. Issues arising in regard to interactions with the environment, epigenetics and lack of spatio-temporal control, make it highly questionable whether risk assessment can come to any meaningful and robust results at all. Extensive and long-term release experiments would be needed to research the actual effects: the consequences, however, would, in many cases, already be irreversible resp. uncontrollable.
The regulation of genetically engineered organisms
The following regulatory requirements are crucial in the approach to ‘old’ and ‘new’ genetic engineering technologies:
› Starting with the respective method, all organisms with genomes that have been changed using genetic engineering techniques, must be subject to regulation and mandatory authorisation even if no additional genes are inserted.
› The spatio-temporal controllability of genetically engineered organisms must be ensured. This means that each and every release must rigorously adhere to effective control and to the possibility of retrieval.
In addition, from the perspective of nature protection, it is necessary to explore to what extent natural species and biodiversity have a ‘right’ to the preservation of their own natural integrity and further development. Essentially, biodiversity should no longer be seen as a free resource for genetic engineering experiments.