Jonas Monast – Natural Resources Law as a Model for Biotechnology Governance | GES Colloquium
Jonas Monast joins us from the UNC School of Law to discuss the emerging conflicts between biotechnology governance and natural resources management, and explore how existing natural resources laws can inform biotechnology governance challenges....
Does the US public support using gene drives to control agricultural pests?
Mike Jones, Sep. 11, 2019 | The development of gene drives is progressing more rapidly than our understanding of public values towards these technologies. Findings from this research can inform responsible innovation in gene drive development and risk assessment....Continue reading "Does the US public support using gene drives to control agricultural pests?"
Todd Kuiken – Updates and Opportunities in the International Synbio Policy Space | GES Colloquium
GES Colloquium, 9/10/19 | Dr. Todd Kuiken will provide an update on major international treaties and discussions around synthetic biology, and ways for NC State and the broader synbio community to participate in these activities....
USDA to biotech: Call your own compliance
Steven Suppan, July 30, 2019 | The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants agribusiness to sell more genetically engineered (GE) seeds and food products all over the world, as soon as possible. This rule would go beyond already controversial genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to encompass hundreds of new products of new gene and genome editing techniques. The fastest way to do that?...Continue reading "USDA to biotech: Call your own compliance"
Biotechnology Oversight Gets an Early Make-Over by Trump’s White House and USDA: Part 2 – The USDA-APHIS Rule
Jennifer Kuzma, July 2, 2019 | USDA-APHIS has proposed an oversight process for GE crops that appears to be a significant departure from the current one. This article discusses the features of the proposed new rule, along with its strengths and weaknesses and my recommendations for how it should be amended. ...
Workshop Report on Gene Drive Mice for Biodiversity Protection on Islands
S. Kathleen Barnhill-Dilling, June 24, 2019 | Mice offer an ideal genetic model for exploring the possibility of developing a synthetic gene drive in mammals. As pests, they pose challenges to human health, agricultural yields and storage, and biodiversity, especially on islands where they are not native. If research on gene drives in mice were to progress to a field trial, an island ecosystem would offer an additional level of physical containment. ...Continue reading "Workshop Report on Gene Drive Mice for Biodiversity Protection on Islands"
Biotechnology Oversight Gets an Early Make-Over by Trump’s White House and USDA: Part 1—The Executive Order
Jennifer Kuzma, June 18, 2019 | Last week, the Trump administration set the tone for its oversight of agricultural biotechnology (ag biotech) through two major actions: 1) Signing the Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products Executive Order; and 2) Proposing a draft rule on the Movement of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs), changing how USDA reviews GE plants....
IUCN Report: Genetic frontiers for conservation – An assessment of synthetic biology and biodiversity conservation
Todd Kuiken, May 9, 2019 | Synthetic biology – altering or redesigning genes to meet human objectives – is a fast-developing field with significant potential impacts on nature conservation, according to the Genetic frontiers for conservation assessment report. So far mostly applied in agriculture and medicine, synthetic biology could have substantial knock-on effects on conservation – including modified genes spreading to non-target species and affecting broader ecosystems, but also benefits such as saving threatened species, reduced fertiliser use or diminished demand for products derived from threatened species....
Governing evolution – A socioecological comparison of resistance management for Bt crops
Zachary Brown, March 21, 2019 | Cooperative management of pest susceptibility to transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops is pursued worldwide in a variety of forms and to varying degrees of success depending on context. We examine this context using a comparative socioecological analysis of resistance management in Australia, Brazil, India, and the United States. We find that a shared understanding of resistance risks among government regulators, growers, and other actors is critical for effective governance. ...
