Niger Parliament Approves National Biosafety Law |
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The Republic of Niger has taken a bold step in passing the Biosafety Law on October 17, 2019 in Niamey. The country has a population of approximately 23.5 million people and the need to guarantee food security is key for their government. The new law will provide safety measures in research and development with respect to modern biotechnology and for transboundary movement of living modified organisms (LMOs) as well as products thereof. Adoption of biotechnology also positions the country to benefit from the fast growing technology by addressing health and environmental safety concerns of its citizens.
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Biotech Soybeans Now Cover 50% of the World's Biotech Crop Area |
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The four major biotech crops — soybeans, maize, cotton, and canola — were the most adopted biotech crops by 26 countries in 2018, according to the ISAAA report, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2018. Soybeans lead at 95.9 million hectares, followed by maize (58.9 million hectares), cotton (24.9 million), and canola (10.1 million hectares). Based on the FAO global area for these crops, 78% of soybeans, 76% of cotton, 30% of maize, and 29% of canola were biotech crops in 2018.
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Harvard, MIT Experts Develop New Gene Editing Technology |
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Experts from Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University developed a new gene editing approach by putting together two of the most vital proteins in molecular biology, CRISPR-Cas9 and a reverse transcriptase, into one system. The new system called prime editing is capable of editing mammalian cells in a precise, efficient, and highly versatile fashion. The study was published in Nature.
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| NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD |
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| RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS |
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| PLANT BREEDING INNOVATIONS |
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GM APPROVAL UPDATES |
- Russia approved corn TC1507 for food, feed, and processing.
- Russia approved corn MZHG0JG for food, feed, and processing.
- Russia approved corn DAS40278 for food, feed, and processing.
- South Korea approved canola MS11 for food use.
- The Philippines approved corn Bt11 x MIR162 x MON89034 x GA21 for food, feed, and processing.
- The Philippines approved potato Y9 for food, feed, and processing.
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| The Crop Biotech Update is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a non-for-profit organization. The CBU is distributed for free to over 23,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in agricultural biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10. |
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