Further guidance required for assessment of gene drive technology, says EFSA
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N. Foote,
Euractiv,
2020.
Existing guidelines are adequate for evaluating risks associated with gene-drive modified insects, but further guidance is needed for some areas, most notably for environmental risk assessments, according to an opinion of the EU’s food safety agency (EFSA). After being mandated by the European Commission, EFSA’s experts on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) published the scientific opinion related to engineered gene drives on Thursday (12 November), specifically focusing on gene drive modified disease-transmitting insects, primarily mosquitoes. The evaluation was requested to explore the issue ahead of the consideration of any possible applications of the technology and is also designed to support the EU in discussions on the biosafety of GMOs in international fora such as the United Nations. It found that while existing guidelines are sufficient for evaluating risks associated with technology, further guidance is needed for some areas, such as molecular characterisation, environmental risk assessment and post-market environmental monitoring. More related to this: EFSA discusses risk assessment of gene drives EFSA advises on risk assessment of engineered gene drives Guidance on the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified animals. Further guidance required for assessment of gene drive technology, says EFSA(Opens in a new browser
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