The Max Planck Society has formulated its position on genome editing in a discussion paper which will be made available at the beginning of June. The society has decided to contribute the expertise of its scientists to foster scientific and societal debate on the subject.

The discussion paper calls for European legislation to be adapted to the current state of research and for plants with edited genetic material to no longer be classified as genetically modified if they imitate the natural process of mutagenesis. 

"The position paper reflects the great potential of genome editing and the ethical and legal challenges it poses. The Max Planck Society wants to show how science can use this potential responsibly in order to gain important insights for the benefit of society, especially with regard to new applications in the fields of medicine and nutrition," says Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society who also commissioned the Society's Ethics Council to review the state of knowledge on genome editing.

For more details, read the news in Max Planck Society website.