For nearly two years, as it turned out, the Ministry of agriculture of the United States quietly gave preference to multiple crops that have been genetically modified using CRISPR. Edit the DNA of humans and animals can be a contentious process, but when it comes to plants, if the gene modified plants does not include alien genetic material, CRISPR-culture will not be subject to special regulation. This week the USDA officially endorsed this position. According to the Minister of agriculture of the United States Sonny Perdue, “this approach allows us to innovate without any risk”.
The logic is this: you can change the genetics of plants through classical breeding techniques such as crossbreeding. So, while scientists change the plants, as you could hypothetically change with the use of more traditional methods — for example, to delete a gene of a plant or insert a gene from another plant, which is as it “crosses over” from the first, — there is no risk to consumer health. He was used to the standard methods of crossing. Genetic manipulation with the use of CRISPR just occur faster and more accurately, allowing you to achieve the same results.
Since the 1990s years, the Ministry of agriculture regulates which genetically modified crops can enter the market, and not because of fears of causing harm to human health, and because of fears that the yield of foreign DNA can inadvertently cause environmental damage. The fungus, which removed one gene would not pose a threat.
As a result, the Ministry has already approved several CRISPR-crops, including mushrooms that longer remain fresh, and Camelina sativa, an important oilseeds, which will give improved omega-3 oil.
In the January interview CEO Nature Yield10 Bioscience, has developed a Camelina sativa, reported that the lack of regulatory barriers can save you years and tens of millions of dollars on production. If the company was forced to withstand the normal regulatory process of the Ministry of agriculture of the USA, it would take at least six years and 30 to 50 million dollars for testing and data collection needed to bring culture to the market.
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Food created using CRISPR, gave the green light
Ilya Hel