Biotech Updates

Serbia and Denmark Approve Field Trial of GM Plants for the Detection of Explosives in Soil

August 31, 2007

The authorities in Serbia and Denmark have now given the green light to field trials of Arabidopsis plants that can be used to detect the presence of explosives and landmines in the soil. The deliberate release will take place in an area close to Novi Sad in Serbia, and will be conducted in cooperation with the agricultural institute NS Seme in Novi Sad. Trials will also commence immediately in Denmark, in Jægerspris (Denmark).  

“The approval is an important milestone in Aresa’s further development of the landmine detection plant RedDetect(TM). It is important to Aresa to be able to test the plants outside Denmark, and more importantly in an area, where landmines do occur and soil conditions are similar to where we potentially are going to detect landmines and other explosives” said Ole Andersen, of Aresa.  

Aresa plans to transfer the RedDetect(TM) technology to tobacco plant by next year, thereby increasing the robustness of RedDetect(TM) technology as well as its commercial potential. Aresa is a plant biotech company established in 2001, a spin-off from the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Copenhagen.  

For more information visit http://www.aresa.dk/aresa_home_english2.html