File Genetic engineering
This file of the Forum for Genetic Research provides an overview of up-to-date developments in the field of new genetic engineering methods.
The forum provides decision-makers, media representatives, teachers and other interested persons with the most important synthesis reports, position papers and other publications relevant to Switzerland, as well as event information from universities, research-oriented institutions, authorities and internationally recognised bodies.
News
Genome editing: is it a promising new method or are its dangers being underestimated? It’s currently regulated by the Gene Technology Act, but this is itself a matter of intense debate among experts.
An Evidence Review Group organized by the Swiss Academy of Sciences has looked in a multi-stakeholder scientific dialogue process at the currently available scientific evidence on agro-gene technology, with a focus on the Swiss context. This joint learning process resulted in a compilation of scientific publications that are considered relevant when discussing the potential impact of agro-gene-technology in Switzerland as well as in the identification of four key issues that can help foster a constructive dialogue among scientists and stakeholders.
Image: Public Domain
17.08.2021 – Mit dem Argument «Konsumierende wollen nicht» wird seit Jahren jegliche Debatte über Gentechnologie in der Landwirtschaft abgewürgt. Dabei ist erstens nicht so klar, was Konsumierende wollen, und zweitens hängt dies stark von der Debatte ab.
Image: NORDSTUDIO - Philippe Wiget
The recent application of tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats; Cas9 nuclease), to edit the human genome with the intention of treating or preventing disease and the gaps in our scientific understanding, in addition to some of the proposed applications of human genome editing, raise ethical issues that have highlighted the need for robust oversight in this area. In December 2018, WHO established a global, multidisciplinary expert advisory committee (the Expert Advisory Committee on Developing Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing, hereafter called the Committee) to examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated with human genome editing (somatic, germline and heritable).
The recent application of tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats; Cas9 nuclease), to edit the human genome with the intention of treating or preventing disease and the gaps in our scientific understanding, in addition to some of the proposed applications of human genome editing, raise ethical issues that have highlighted the need for robust oversight in this area In December 2018, WHO established a global, multidisciplinary expert advisory committee (the Expert Advisory Committee on Developing Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing, hereafter called the Committee) to examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated with human genome editing (somatic, germline and heritable).
The recent application of tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats; Cas9 nuclease), to edit the human genome with the intention of treating or preventing disease and the gaps in our scientific understanding, in addition to some of the proposed applications of human genome editing, raise ethical issues that have highlighted the need for robust oversight in this area. In December 2018, WHO established a global, multidisciplinary expert advisory committee (the Expert Advisory Committee on Developing Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing, hereafter called the Committee) to examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated with human genome editing (somatic, germline and heritable).
As a service to the field, the ISSCR develops guidelines that address the international diversity of cultural, political, legal, and ethical issues associated with stem cell research and its translation to medicine. The guidelines maintain and underscore widely shared principles in science that call for rigor, oversight, and transparency in all areas of practice. Adherence to these principles provides assurance that stem cell research is conducted with scientific and ethical integrity and that new therapies are evidence-based. Responding to advances in science, the guidelines were updated in 2021 to encompass a broader and more expansive scope of research and clinical endeavor while maintaining the fundamental principles of the research and application. The 2021 guidelines include new recommendations to address the recent scientific advances involving embryos, stem cell-based embryo models, chimeras, organoids, and genome editing.
Wie entwickelt sich menschliches Leben, wodurch lässt sich die Fortpflanzungsmedizin verbessern und in welcher Weise können Stammzellen bei der Entwicklung neuer Therapien gegen Volkskrankheiten wie Diabetes oder Herzinfarkt helfen? Zur Beantwortung dieser Fragen dürfen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler in Deutschland bislang nur wenig beitragen, da dafür erforderliche Studien an menschlichen Embryonen außerhalb des Körpers durch das Embryonenschutzgesetz (ESchG) verboten sind. In ihrer gemeinsamen Stellungnahme „Neubewertung des Schutzes von In-vitro-Embryonen in Deutschland“ empfehlen Leopoldina und Akademienunion, Embryonenforschung für hochrangige Forschungsziele im Einklang mit internationalen ethischen Standards künftig zu ermöglichen und den dafür erforderlichen Rechtsrahmen neu zu diskutieren.
On 29 April 2021, the European Commission published a study regarding the status of New Genomic Techniques under Union law.
Aus Sicht der Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz ist die geltende Gentechnikgesetzgebung nicht mehr zeitgemäss. Sie regen dazu an, möglichst rasch neue Regulierungsoptionen zu erarbeiten und breit zu diskutieren. Hauptziel sollte es sein, die Chancen neuer gentechnischer Verfahren verantwortungsvoll und inklusiv für die Schweizer Pflanzenzüchtung und Landwirtschaft nutzbar zu machen.
Gene drives are genetic elements that skew the pattern of inheritance of a given characteristic in sexually reproduc- ing organisms. They can be used to spread a characteristic that can alter or even reduce the numbers of individuals in wild populations of a certain species.
Climate change, emerging pests and scarce resources – sustainable production of sufficient food of high quality requires plant varieties to be continuously adapted to current and future production systems.
General information
Contact
SCNAT
Forum for Genetic Research
House of Academies
PO Box
3001 Bern
Switzerland
