What is gene editing and what are the rules?
Embracing gene editing could have huge benefits for New Zealand’s primary industries and we shouldn’t be scared of the technology, scientists say. The latest paper in a series from the Royal Society Te Apa¯rangi outlines five ways gene editing could be used.
How does it work?
Gene editing (also known as genome editing) is the targeted alteration of a specific DNA sequence. While older genetic modification technology typically added foreign DNA to a plant or animal, gene editing involves precise modification of small sections of existing DNA.
Gene editing techniques use proteins that act like ‘‘molecular scissors’’ to cut DNA in a precise, targeted location. Genes can then be inserted, removed, replaced or modified to change their function.
Why would our primary industries start using gene editing?
There are plenty of potential benefits, and the society’s paper covered five scenarios: Editing ma¯nuka to make it diseaseresistant; increasing the speed of growing apple trees; making wilding pines sterile so they don’t spread beyond plantations; removing allergens from milk; and editing the genes of fungi found in ryegrass to maintain pest-deterring chemicals but reduce chemicals that can be harmful to livestock.
What are the rules in New Zealand?
Gene editing is considered genetic modification and all uses of the technology must be approved by the Environmental Protection Authority. Any releases into the environment are subject to public consultation.
What do other countries make of it all?
In July, Europe’s highest court imposed strict regulations on gene-edited crops. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that gene edited crops should be subject to the same regulations as genetically modified organisms (GMO). In Australia, a technical review of the gene technology regulations led to recommendations that gene editing, without introduced templates to guide genome repair, would not be regulated as GMOS as the repairs would be guided by the cell’s normal repair processes.
Source: The Royal Society Te Apa¯rangi.