Molecular farming is about to gain a foothold in Europe, hence biosafety regulators in the EU is about to face a big challenge, says Armin Spök of the IFZ–Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture in Austria. Spök presented that there are evident increases in EU commercial and academic activities in molecular farming, and soon the first generation plant-made pharmaceuticals will hit the market.

Spök recommends that “policy development for molecular farming will have to be pursued in a complex environment, where unresolved problems with first-generation GM crops are still prevalent”. In his paper published by the journal Trends in Biotechnology, he suggests that the risks associated with products from molecular farming might be different from those in first generation GM crops.

Among the considerations is the plant made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) are designed to have a biological effect on humans. Also, the crops for molecular farming are to be optimized for maximum yield of the target substance, thus human and environmental exposure could therefore be increased. The current risk-mitigation measures that are in place might not be sufficient, Spök concluded.

The complete paper can be accessed by subscribers at http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2006.12.003.