02/April/20

 

The gene-editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas12a or Cpf1 has been viewed as a better choice than other Cas editing tools because it was believed to be more precise and less prone to making off-target cuts in DNA. But a new paper shows that Cpf1 is not as clean or specific as touted. The researchers employed in vitro assays using a vast collection of synthesized DNA molecules containing variations on the editing site sequence. They found that Cpf1 was highly prone to making off-target single-strand cuts, or "nicks", in the double-stranded DNA molecules. Off-target double-strand DNA cuts were also found, albeit at a lower frequency than the single-strand nicks. [Note: This paper has been added to our growing list of scientific papers with findings that support the need for strict regulation of gene-edited organisms.] GMWatch

 

 

After wreaking havoc in the US and parts of Ontario, herbicide-resistant waterhemp has arrived on the scene on the eastern side of the Canadian Prairies. Patches of the prolific weed — a cousin to Palmer amaranth — were found in multiple fields in five municipalities in Manitoba last year. In one case, over 30 acres were destroyed to try to get a handle on the weed. Lab tests last year confirmed resistance to Group 2 and Group 9 herbicides (ALS inhibitors and glyphosate) among the waterhemp plants found in Manitoba. RealAgriculture

 

 

The risk of disease outbreaks including pandemics increases the more nature is destroyed, said German Federal environment minister Svenja Schulze at a press conference given in collaboration with scientists. The minister said that committed nature conservation in many regions of the world is thus key to preventing new infectious diseases. GMWatch

 

 

EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler has proposed restricting the agency's ability to use the best available science to protect our health and the health of our planet. But this would limit EPA to questionable data and research produced by the same polluting industries the agency is supposed to be regulating. There are thousands of strong, peer-reviewed medical studies that rely on confidential patient data that cannot be made public by law. Tell EPA to expand rather than restrict its use of these studies so it can implement safeguards that truly protect us and the environment. Center for Food Safety