Testbiotech EU Newsletter 1/2022 (February 2022)

Unintended changes and unexpected patterns of inheritance in CRISPR animals
In experiments with zebrafish, researchers have for the first time shown that unintended effects of CRISPR/Cas applications are inherited in subsequent generations. They also found unusual patterns of inheritance. According to the scientists, the findings show that the effects of CRISPR/Cas applications on subsequent generations need to be examined in much greater detail.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/crisprcas-animals-unintended-changes...
Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28244-5

Deficiencies in the risk assessment of Bt cowpea cultivated in Nigeria
A scientific publication found substantial deficiencies in the risk assessment of genetically engineered Bt cowpea approved for cultivation in Nigeria. The transgenic plants produce an insecticidal Bt toxin that is meant to protect the plants from the larvae of Maruca vitrata, which feed on the plants and are also known as pod borer. The authors identify several gaps in the risk assessment, e.g. on the safety of the Bt toxins, potential gene flow and uncontrolled spread of the transgenes.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/transgenic-cowpea-may-impact-health-...
Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/3/380

Evolution of plants: Research outcomes on the differences between New GE and conventional breeding
A scientific publication in Nature, shows that the occurrence of mutations in plant genomes is not purely random, and their frequencies in populations do not only depend on the mechanisms of selection. It is now becoming evident that the genome has natural mechanisms which prevent specific genomic regions from frequent mutations. The published research sheds new light on evolutionary biology and also raises questions in regard to the consequences of genetic engineering in plants.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/new-findings-evolution-plants
Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04269-6

Corner stones for environmental risk assessment of genome edited plants
Experts from environmental authorities in Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland and Switzerland published a scientific paper that, for the first time, defines some important initial cornerstones in the environmental risk assessment of plants altered with new genomic techniques (i.e. ‘New GE’ or ‘genome editing’). The authors show that there can be no justification for only risk assessing plants with additionally inserted genes or with extensive genomic changes. Rather, all plants derived from New GE must be subjected to mandatory risk assessment.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/new-ge-how-assess-environmental-risks
Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6284/10/3/10/htm

“Golden Rice” especially attractive for pest insects?
Recent publications show that genetically engineered (GE) plants fortified with vitamins pose a specific challenge in risk research. A higher content of carotene can be an advantage for insects feeding on the plants. This could be amongst the problems with so-called ‘Golden Rice’, which is to be grown in the Philippines. It will be the first GE plant grown in the fields to produce additional carotene to improve vitamin A intake via consumption.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/golden-rice-especially-attractive-pe...
Paper 1: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246696
Paper 2: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/8/718

Position paper on new genomic techniques and their regulation - High risk potential requires case-by-case analysis
The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) published a position paper in October on the intention of the EU Commission to evaluate new legislative proposals for the regulation of certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) in plants. The paper concludes that these plants have a similar or even greater risk potential than plants obtained from older genetic engineering techniques.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/german-federal-agency-nature-conserv...
Position paper: https://www.bfn.de/publikationen/positionspapier/new-developments-and-re...

Need for a case-specific risk assessment of plants obtained from new genetic engineering
A new study published in the scientific journal Plants, presents the specific risks of new genetic engineering techniques and gives an overview of possible gene scissor applications. Inducing even supposedly small alterations in the genome of crop plants can nevertheless generate complex changes. The results of the study highlight the need for plants developed using New Genetic Engineering techniques to undergo case-specific risk assessment, taking both the properties of the end product and risks posed by the applied procedures into account.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/new-scientific-publication-novel-ris...
Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2259/htm

Uncontrolled spread of GE oilseed rape: a global problem
A Korean publication shows that the uncontrolled spread of genetically engineered (GE) oilseed rape is already happening in 14 countries on 5 continents. These are countries which either allow the cultivation of GE oilseed rape (such as the USA and Canada), or have tested it in experimental releases (such as Germany), or allow the import of kernels (such as Japan). Moreover, it has to be assumed that there is a high number of undetected cases, as many regions do not have systematic monitoring.
https://www.testbiotech.org/en/news/uncontrolled-spread-ge-oilseed-rape-...
Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/12/1264