A Critical Review of the Academy of Science in South Africa’s report on Second Generation GMOs

A new report highlights that so-called new breeding techniques, in general, involve many of the same processes used to produce first generation GMOs, with similar risks and have also introduced additional risks. […]

CRISPR Gene Editing Caused Hundreds of Unintended Mutations in Mice Genome

A new study has found that CRISPR-based gene-editing introduced hundreds of unintended mutations into the genome of mice. […]

Ecological and Ethical Implications of Using CRISPR‐based Gene Drive to Control Crop Pests

This paper discusses the ecological and ethical implications of using CRISPR‐based gene drive to control crop pests, given the risks of long-term effects and uncertain regulation over this new technology. […]

Synthetic Biology and New Breeding Techniques Are Genetic Engineering Technologies

Advocates claim that synthetic biology and new breeding techniques are distinct from genetic engineering whereas in fact, they carry similar risks to old-style GE and may even create new ones. Thus, they should require more, rather than less, scrutiny. […]

Two Simplified Briefings Introducing New GM Technologies and Biosafety Risks

Two new briefings from the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) focus on the new GM technologies and their associated uncertainties and risks. […]

Organic Agriculture Maintains Its Exclusion of All GM Technologies

The organic movement is expanding its stand on the exclusion of GM from organic systems, to include new technologies like synthetic biology and new plant breeding techniques. […]

Consumers Call for Regulation of New Genetic Engineering Techniques

EU and US consumers call for products derived from new genetic engineering techniques to be regulated and labeled as GMOs. […]

Four Steps Forward, One Leap Back on Global Governance of Synthetic Biology

Parties to the CBD have made progress in the global governance and oversight of synthetic biology. However, progress on risk assessment work under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety has stalled. […]

Biodiversity Convention Considers Genetic Sequence Data and Benefit Sharing

Negotiators at the CBD meeting in Cancun, Mexico are working to resolve tough issues surrounding how to share benefits from the use of genetic sequence data from plants, animals, microbes and other biodiversity. […]

Risks of GM Crops Engineered to Utilise RNA Interference

NThis Biosafety Briefing focuses on GM crops engineered to utilise RNA interference. Such GMOs present a unique set of risks as compared with those generated with classical transgenic approaches. […]