Invergowrie, Scotland
July 3, 2007
Scientists at Scotland’s leading
crop research centre,
Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) at Invergowrie, have
won a share of a £400,000 project to research techniques
relevant for the safety assessment of GMOs (Genetically Modified
Organisms).
Working with a team at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, the
scientists will research improved and more rapid methods for
determining whether plant genes may be “disrupted” by the
genetic modification process and if entirely new proteins might
arise from the GM process.
The methods will also help in the development of diagnostic
tools for GM plants. It will enable scientists to trace GMOs in
the food chain as part of Europe’s regulatory regime. The
funding has come from the Food Standards Agency and builds upon
significant funding already obtained by the SCRI for GMO safety
assessments.
Leading the work at SCRI will be Dr Mark Taylor and Professor
Howard Davies who are both part of the organisation’s programme
studying food quality, health and nutrition.
Dr Mark Taylor said: “Methods for producing GM plants are
continually being improved. For example, research is continuing
which will help us control where in the plants DNA the
transgenes can be inserted. This could help to minimize any
potential unintended effects. Similarly, the validation of
methods to read the host plant’s genetic code on either side of
region where transgenes are actually inserted will help us
assess likely adverse effects of the insertion process”.
SCRI’s Professor Howard Davies, who is a member of the European
Food Safety Authority GMO Panel said: “Europe has a rigorous
system for the risk assessment of GMOs. An important starting
point in the process is the molecular characterization of what
happens when transgenes are inserted into the plant’s DNA.
However, it is only one component of the risk assessment process
which is outlined in guidelines published by the European Food
Safety Authority. Weight of evidence from a range of analyses
helps to inform decisions on safety”.
GM crop trials of potatoes with genes to produce resistance to
late blight control were recently authorised to take place in
England. Late blight caused the Irish potato famine in 1845.
Currently, as far as we are aware, there are no plans for GM
trials in Scotland. |
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