Biotech Updates

EC-Funded Toxicity and Carcinogenicity Studies Show that NK603 Maize Has No Adverse Effects in Rats

March 6, 2019

A study conducted by 18 researchers from various research institutions in Europe concluded that glyphosate resistant NK603 maize consumption has no adverse effects in Wistar Han RCC rats. The results of the study is published in Archives of Toxicology. This new finding debunks the infamous study of Gilles-Eric Séralini published and later retracted in Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2012, which claimed that NK603 causes tumors in rats.

The new study was funded by the European Commission to test the potential subchronic and chronic toxicity as well as the carcinogenicity of NK603 maize through the conduct of 90-day and 2-year feeding trials following the OECD Guidelines for testing of chemicals and EFSA recommendations on the safety testing of whole-food/feed in laboratory animals.

Results showed that feeding of glyphosate-treated and untreated NK603 has no adverse effects on the rats. The researchers presented recommendations on the scientific justification and added value of long-term feeding trials in the GM plant risk assessment process.

Read the open access research article in Archives of Toxicology.