25/July/22

 

Scientists at Tel Aviv University (TAU) warn that while the CRISPR genome-editing method is very effective, it is not always safe and that sometimes, rearranging pieces of DNA compromises genomic stability, possibly triggering cancer in the long run. The new TAU study identifies risks in the use of CRISPR therapeutics. Investigating the impact of this technology on T-cells – white blood cells of the immune system – the researchers detected a loss of genetic material in a significant percentage, up to 10% of the treated cells. They explain that such loss can lead to destabilisation of the genome, which might cause cancer. The Jerusalem Post

 

 

Guernsey will ban retailers from selling glyphosate products from the autumn. The Health & Safety Executive will introduce a ban on the sale of the products – which are used in some weedkillers and other garden treatments – to the public from 31 October 2022. The body has made the decision after examining the impact of the chemicals on local water supplies and biodiversity. ITV News

 

 

In October 2021, the South African (SA) government determined that the regulatory and risk assessment framework that exists for GMOs will also apply to new breeding techniques (NBTs), which make up a host of new genetic engineering technologies. This decision appears to follow a European Court of Justice ruling that since NBTs entail genetic modifications that do not occur naturally, which is thus similar to the definition of a GMO, these new breeding technologies should be similarly regulated. But SA’s determination has been challenged by a consortium of industrial agricultural players through an appeal launched in November 2021. African Centre for Biodiversity

 

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