Side Event
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY, THE NEW BREEDING TECHNOLOGIES AND LMOS – WHERE ARE THE GAPS IN REGULATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT AND HOW CAN WE ADDRESS THEM.
Organizer
Federation of Germany Scientists
Date and Time
1 October 2014 13:15 - 14:45
This side-event gives an updated overview of the many DNA based technologies currently in use or development. We will present the different technologies, including the new breeding and genome editing technologies and ask which of these are captured by the LMO definition, what is covered by risk assessments, where are the gaps and how can we fill them? We will also ask if there are deliberate moves to get them excluded from any assessment or labelling regimes. Clearly there are overlaps between synthetic biology and LMO technologies, so which aspects of synthetic biology might already be covered by the Cartagena protocol on Biosafety and which are not? Which additional questions and aspects need to be addressed for a robust risk assessment, in line with the precautionary principle as outlined by the Protocol? How do we address the issue of multiple techniques being used to develop a single product? Where the Protocol has been implemented at national level, does the legislation cover a narrower range of LMOs than the Protocol itself? How do we address the various proposals for contained use including so-called genetic containment? How do we develop containment policies for synthetic biology without agreed assessment frameworks? Synthetic biology is likely to have unintended and unpredictable side effects and resulting organisms may become invasive alien species. Where are the gaps in risk assessment and how can we address them?