Genetically modified organisms: adapting regulatory frameworks for evolving genome editing technologies

Abstract

Genetic modification of living organisms has been a prosperous activity for research and development of agricultural, industrial and biomedical applications. Three decades have passed since the first genetically modified products, obtained by transgenesis, become available to the market. The regulatory frameworks across the world have not been able to keep up to date with new technologies, monitoring and safety concerns. New genome editing techniques are opening new avenues to genetic modification development and uses, putting pressure on these frameworks. Here we discuss the implications of definitions of living/genetically modified organisms, the evolving genome editing tools to obtain them and how the regulatory frameworks around the world have taken these technologies into account, with a focus on agricultural crops. Finally, we expand this review beyond commercial crops to address living modified organism uses in food industry, biomedical applications and climate change-oriented solutions.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with wine fermentation and adaptation to nitrogen limitation in wild and domesticated yeast strains

“…Although we did not directly link the validated SNPs with a “wild” origin, the results obtained has clear applied potential to improve an industrial wine yeast strain by introducing the validated SNPs using CRISPR, which could be an interesting approach for the wine industry. It is worth mentioning that genetic engineering has rarely been used for yeast improvement in the food industry, mainly due to legal restrictions and consumer rejection; however, new technologies collectively known as “new breeding techniques” (NBTs) are challenging this paradigm, and CRISPR has been used experimentally to produce a wide variety of commercial genetically modified (GM) crops, such as maize and soybean [ 71 ].…”

Discovery of novel genetic syndromes in Latin America: Opportunities and challenges

“…Consequently, most NGDA projects continue to be led by scientists from developed countries with LatAm scientists mainly contributing phenotypic data and samples from few patients for the clinical delineation of a novel genetic syndrome, in what can be considered “science-by-email or courier”. Finally, the lack of updated regulatory frameworks and their heterogeneity across the continent may delay and even stop the implementation and development of genomics in the region, not only for diagnostic purposes, but also for therapeutic ones in each of the aforementioned steps ( Rozas et al, 2022 ).…”

The recent possible strategies for breeding ultraviolet-B-resistant crops

“…It is crucial to evaluate how these crops interact with regional ecosystems, taking into account their effects on biodiversity overall, soil health, and non-target organisms. Adaptive management techniques and surveillance should be used to handle any unanticipated issues that may develop in the future [ 104 ]. Therefore, transgenic UVB-resistant crop adoption necessitates a thorough strategy to resolve ethical, legal, and biosafety issues.…”