News and Trends 12 Jul 2017 Update: France and the Netherlands deem Oxitec’s GM Mosquitoes Safe for Release Update (12/07/2017): France’s High Council for Biotechnology (HCB) has also backed the use, with caution, of genetically modified mosquitoes in France. Oxitec expects the report published by the HCB will help shape the policy to regulate the genetically engineered insects in France and eventually allow testing the technology in the French Caribbean. Originally published on 07/07/2017 A […] July 12, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 13 Jun 2017 Will Gene Editing Bypass the GMO Struggle or Worsen Public Distrust? In the US, the first CRISPR-edited crops were able to bypass GMO regulations, but Europe’s plant scientists are still awaiting the final go ahead. In April 2016, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave the green light to the first CRISPR-edited crops, a mushroom that has been engineered to resist browning and a waxy corn from […] June 13, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 May 2017 Resurrected Proteins could be New Weapon against Crop Viruses Researchers from Spain have succeeded in expressing a 4 billion year-old enzyme in a present-day E. coli. It’s similar enough to the modern version to work, but different enough to dupe viruses. A new way to create virus resistance in crops? In a lab at the University of Granada, Spain, that specializes in reconstructing ancient gene sequences, researchers have […] May 12, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Denise Neves Gameiro Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 6 Apr 2017 Fear & Loathing in GMOs: How do you change concerned minds? The house was packed to hear Joyce Tait of the Innogen Institute and Mark Lynas, an environmental writer, speak about smarter approaches to GM regulations. The second day of SynBioBeta yesterday started early, but fuelled by a passion for synthetic biology (on which a number of speakers commented), attendees packed into the lecture hall for a fireside chat on GMO regulation with Joyce […] April 6, 2017 - 5 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Apr 2017 New Results Show GM Mosquitoes Keep Dengue and Zika at Bay in Brazil In its second year, Oxitec has reduced the mosquito population in a Brazilian neighborhood by 81%, demonstrating the long-term potential of GM insects. Oxitec is a spin-out from the University of Oxford that fights infectious disease with genetically-engineered mosquitoes that produce inviable offspring. The company has already made field trials in the Cayman Islands, Panama, Brazil, […] April 3, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Feb 2017 Could GM Insects impact the international trade of Organic Food? Genetically modified insects are released to control the spread of diseases and crop pests, but the logistics may not be so simple: these little creatures could jam global food exports, particularly to more GM-averse Europe. What happens when genetically engineered insects develop on vegetable farms? Two researchers, from the Max Planck Institue for Evolutionary Biology in […] February 3, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Denise Neves Gameiro Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Jan 2017 Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes will arrive in India to fight Dengue Oxitec is preparing to start trials testing its solution to reduce the population of disease-transmitting insects in India with its own genetically modified mosquitoes. Oxitec, a spin-out from Oxford University, engineers mosquitoes to reduce their populations in areas where they spread infectious diseases. After success in Brazil and the Cayman Islands, the company is now heading […] January 25, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Dec 2016 UPDATE: Bayer seals deal with Monsanto in Dark Side slide Bloomberg reports that Bayer has increased its bid once more to acquire the world’s least ethical company in order to solidify its position in agrochemicals. Bayer appears hell-bent on a Faustian bargain with Monsanto: the German chemical company has just thrown more money at America’s fourth most hated company in the hope of acquiring it. Despite its […] December 14, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Oct 2016 Oxitec scales up Mosquito production with a new Factory in Brazil Since Brazil became the first country in the world to deploy GM mosquitos, Oxitec has opened a factory there to produce its Friendly Aedes aegypti. Oxitec has opened a large-scale mosquito factory in Piracicaba, Brazil, to scale up production of their Friendly Aedes aegypti mosquitos. These mosquitos are effectively sterilized so they don’t transmit infectious […] October 27, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email