06/January/20

 

A new tool for rapidly analyzing CRISPR edits has revealed frequent production of unintended edits, according to a study published in the Nature journal Communications Biology. "We've developed a new process for rapidly screening all of the edits made by CRISPR, and it shows there may be many more unintended changes to DNA around the site of a CRISPR repair than previously thought," said Eric Kmiec, PhD, director of ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute and the lead author of the study. GMWatch

 

 

Supporters of genetically modified seeds often claim that GM varieties produce greater yields than conventional, non-GMO seed. But results of recent field trials of hybrid corn seed and published research shows that non-GMO seed varieties perform as well as or even better than GM seed. The Organic & Non-GMO Report

 

 

An article from the German weekly newspaper Der Freitag is a vanishingly rare example of both sides of the debate about new GM techniques getting coverage in the mainstream media. The article quotes critical scientists and experts drawing attention to the risks and limitations of gene editing as applied to food plants. For example, apple grower Hans-Joachim Bannier says that in view of the history of modern apple cultivation, which has neglected holistic considerations of plant health, genetic engineers' belief "that a single gene can save a species that has long since developed in a risky direction" is fundamentally wrong. GMWatch

 

 

Intrexon is the synthetic biology company that owns the GMO Arctic apple and the AquaBounty GMO salmon, as well as GM mosquitoes via its subsidiary Oxitec. Now Intrexon is selling off its GMO fish and fruit interests to focus on human healthcare. It will change its name to Precigen, which is the cell and gene therapy business unit it formed in 2018. Xconomy; comment by GMWatch

 

 

The Philippines Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry has stated that it has found GMO golden rice to be "as safe as conventional rice" – even though the rice does not seem to have been safety tested in animals or humans. The biosafety permit details the approval of GR2E golden rice for direct use as food and feed, or for processing. The Stop Golden Rice Network described the move as "a blow to the millions of rice farmers and consumers not just in the Philippines but also among other countries in Asia where rice is the major staple food". GMWatch

 

 

Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines has denounced the Bureau of Plant Industry’s (BPI) rubber stamp approval of GM golden rice (GR) and called on the government agency to reverse the faulty decision, which the group says is based on insufficient data. The group said, "The BPI’s approval of so-called 'golden rice' is extremely irresponsible and completely misguided. We condemn the BPI’s systematic disregard of the precautionary principle and of robust data that clearly show that the safety assessments submitted by GR proponents are flawed. Rice is the Philippines’ primary staple; this is a foolish decision that will have far-reaching negative impacts on food and agriculture in the country." The SunStar

 

 

Kenya's Cabinet has approved the growing of GM Bt cotton in the country even as confusion reigns over the 2012 ban on such crops. [GMW: This is in spite of the fact that the crop has suffered widespread failure in India, Pakistan, and Burkina Faso.] Daily Nation; comment by GMWatch

 

 

Horticulturalist Colin Arnold is the owner of a company called GrazeAway, which uses goats instead of herbicides to control weeds. Arnold and his goats work with councils and government authorities to address weed problems. In a reference to the weedkiller glyphosate's link with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Arnold says, "I am not going to get non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from handling goats.” The Age; comment by GMWatch

 

 

The US Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department said a federal appeals court should reverse a lower court verdict finding Bayer liable in the case of a California man who blamed its Roundup weedkiller for his cancer. The government said in a friend of the court brief that glyphosate, the weedkiller’s active ingredient, is not a carcinogen and as a result a warning on the label was not required as California state law demands. Reuters; comment by GMWatch

 

 

Boris Johnson has scrapped powers for MPs to scrutinise future trade deals after Brexit amid the UK could be forced to accept lower standards as a price for a trade agreement with the US. The new Brexit deal has been stripped of a clause which would have given MPs oversight of negotiations for trade agreements once the UK leaves the EU. The Independent; comment by GMWatch

 

"Food Evolution", Scott Hamilton Kennedy's pro-GMO documentary film, trades nuance for finger wagging, at once vilifying critics of GMOs and exalting the companies and scientists that promote these controversial crops, writes Tim Schwab in a powerful critique of the film. Schwab points out that Kennedy was commissioned and funded to make "Food Evolution" by a group called the Institute of Food Technologists, led by an agribusiness veteran who had worked for GMO giants including Monsanto and DuPont. But these vested interests are not clearly disclosed to audiences. 100 Reporters

 

 

A scientist in China who said he had created the world's first gene-edited babies has been jailed for three years. He Jiankui was convicted of violating a government ban by carrying out his own experiments on human embryos, to try to give them protection against HIV. The Chinese government placed He under police investigation and ordered that his research work be stopped. The Center for Genetics and Society welcomed this strong stand by the Chinese government, and noted the need for the few countries that currently lack clear and specific prohibitions on heritable genome editing to adopt them. BBC News and the Center for Genetics and Society