Gene-edited crops and food are regulated as conventional plants unless they contain foreign DNA, after a dossier is submitted to determine if they are exempt. Gene-edited crops are assessed on a case-by-case basis by the National Commission on Agricultural and Forestry Biosafety. In 2019, Paraguay published a resolution outlining what is required for crops developed using gene editing and […]
Paraguay: Crops / Food Read More »
Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have signed agreements and resolutions stating that gene-edited organisms that do not fulfill the definition of GMOs should be regulated as conventional. All three countries are actively discussing, harmonizing and deciding on a case-by-case basis how products of gene editing will be regulated. In 2018, Honduras, Guatemala and 11 other
Central America: Animals Read More »
Ukraine has not determined the regulatory status of gene editing in animals. There is little research and no products in development. Products/Research None Regulatory Timeline None NGO Reaction None Additional Resources Genetic Literacy Project’s FAQ on gene editing
Ukraine has not determined the regulatory status of gene editing in crops. There is little research and no products in development. Products/Research None Regulatory Timeline None NGO Reaction None Additional Resources Genetic Literacy Project’s FAQ on gene editing USDA Agricultural Biotechnology Annual: Ukraine
Ukraine: Crops / Food Read More »
No African nation has passed regulations for gene-edited animals. It is considered a fertile region for gene editing to address a wide range of issues, including poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Transgenic GMOs are strictly regulated throughout the continent. No country has yet commercialized any GMO animals, although the issue is widely debated in scientific circles, particularly
Agricultural gene editing remains a hope rather than a surety. After years of hesitancy over the role of genetically engineered crops (both genetically modified and gene edited) across the continent, in recent years many nations have committed more funding to research and development. Although a few transgenic genetically modified (GM) crops are commercially grown, the process
Africa: Crops / Food Read More »
In 2020, the Department of Biotechnology published draft guidelines for gene editing regulation that require additional safety and efficacy testing for gene-edited organisms. The guidelines continue to be extensively discussed and debated. The guidelines regulate the process used to create gene-edited plants rather than focusing on the characteristics of the final products, as is typically the case in the US and many
Countries in Southeast Asia have not determined the regulatory status of gene editing in animals. There is little research and no products in development. Products/Research None Regulatory Timeline None NGO Reaction None Additional Resources Genetic Literacy Project’s FAQ on gene editing
Southeast Asia: Animals Read More »
Although no gene-edited crops have yet been commercially released under newly-relaxed regulations, numerous crops are in development and could be approved for market in the years ahead. Indian public sector research laboratories are developing, among other crops, rice and maize that can tolerate drought stress; beta carotene-rich banana; high oleic and low linoleic acid ground
India: Crops / Food Read More »
Gene editing is a set of techniques that can be used to precisely modify the DNA of almost any organism. It is being used for applications in human health, gene drives and agriculture. There are numerous gene-editing tools besides CRISPR-Cas 9, which gets most of the attention because it is a comparatively easy tool to use.
Gene editing does not usually involve transgenics – moving ‘foreign’ genes between species. It also refers to a specific technique in contrast to the general term GMO, which is scientifically ambiguous, as genetic modification is a process not a product. Most gene editing involves creating new products by deleting very small segments of DNA (sometimes in agriculture called Site-Directed Nuclease 1 or SDN-1 techniques), which can silence a gene or change a gene’s activity. Countries are evaluating whether or not to regulate this type of gene editing, since it is so similar to natural mutations. The GLP’s Gene Editing Index ratings reflect the regulatory status of SDN-1 techniques, which are the most liberally regulated and will generate most products in the near term.
To develop different products, gene editing can change larger segments of DNA or add DNA from other species (a form of transgenics sometimes in agriculture called SDN-2 or SDN-3 techniques). While many countries are not regulating or lightly regulating SDN-1 techniques, most are moving toward tightly regulating or even restricting SDN-2 and SDN-3.
For more background on the various gene editing SDN techniques, read background articles here and here.