Assessment of the European Court of Justice ruling on gene editing for crop improvement
Posted 21st June 2019 by Joshua Sewell
Anyone involved in the field of agriculture and biotechnology would have been unable to ignore the ECJ ruling on case C-528/16 in July 2018. The ruling confirmed that all plants obtained by any form of mutagenesis are GMOs as defined by Directive (EC) no. 2001/18 and rejected an annulment of mutagenesis exemption (Annex IB of Directive 2001/18. With significant ramifications across the industry, the ECJ stance on gene edited crops and GMOs was a major focus of the 7th Plant Genomics & Gene Editing Congress: Europe.
Using pathogen genome-informed strategies to understand the molecular mechanism plant disease
Posted 12th April 2019 by Joshua Sewell
A key feature of our Congresses is the opportunity given to early career researchers to present their work.
At the upcoming 7th Plant Genomics & Gene Editing Congress: Europe, Egem Ozbudak will be one of four early career researchers to be given a 15-minute platform to present their work and receive a free registration pass for both days of the conference.
He will be discussing his research project on Colletotrichum acutatum, the causative agent of anthracnose crown and fruit rot, recognized as the second most important pathogen of strawberries on the globe due to its economic impacts.
Navigating the European Court of Justice stance on GMOs
Posted 11th March 2019 by Joshua Sewell
“The breeder’s dream is, of course, of an agency which would enable him to produce at will a particular kind of mutation uncontaminated by others which would merely be a nuisance to him….”
“There is as yet no indication from genetics of how, or even whether, this could be done… The dream of directed mutation as a tool in stock and crop improvement is still very much a dream”
These words were part of a lecture given by the well-known geneticist Kenneth Mather at the John Innes Institute in 1960. Now, after more than 50 years of research, his dream of directed mutation has become a reality.
DNA is no longer just ACGT: synthetic DNA is here to stay
Posted 23rd November 2018 by Jane Williams
One of the most amazing aspects surrounding us is life itself – not just humans, but the environment: trees, flowers, insects, animals and even bacteria. They all share one central molecule which is crucial for their existence.
Gaining Public Confidence in Genetically Modified Products
Posted 9th July 2018 by Jane Williams
Despite the fact that GMs have been around for over thirty years, they still ignite debate. We spoke to Professor Jim Dunwell, University of Reading, at the 6th Plant Genomics & Gene Editing Congress: Europe to discuss the steps that should be taken to gain the public’s confidence.