14/April/21

 

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing can lead to unintended mutations (DNA damage) at the targeted section of DNA in early human embryos, researchers have revealed. This highlights the need for further research into the effects of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, especially when used to edit human DNA in laboratory research. The findings also have relevance to gene-edited plants and farm animals. But advocates for the deregulation of plant and livestock gene editing remain silent on the potential consequences, which as usual are only being highlighted by researchers in the clinical field. In the case of gene-edited plants, these consequences could include the production of novel toxins or allergens or raised levels of existing toxins or allergens. GMWatch

 

 

Today, on April 14, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard arguments in Center for Food Safety's (CFS) ongoing lawsuit challenging the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of soy leghemoglobin, the novel genetically engineered colour additive that makes Impossible Foods' plant-based burger, the Impossible Burger, appear to "bleed" like real meat. CFS originally filed the lawsuit in March 2020, challenging FDA's safety review of the genetically engineered colour additive. At stake in the argument is whether FDA examined the safety of soy leghemoglobin as a colour additive before allowing it to be consumed by millions of consumers across the US. Center for Food Safety

 

 

The Gates-funded Target Malaria project has announced the "results" of phase I of its GM "sterile" mosquito release that was performed in 2019. Thus far they have failed to publish the results in a journal, but instead announced them on their website, with no data to claim safety. Efficacy also appears not to have been important in what seems to have been a training exercise. Some basic entomological experiments were reported. There's more about the project and its risks here. Comment by GMWatch on Target Malaria article