Biotech Updates

Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has received license application DIR 207 from Oxitec Australia for the commercial release of a genetically modified (GM) mosquito strain to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and help prevent dengue outbreaks in Queensland.

Pakistan Approves GM Soybean Imports

Pakistan announced the authorization for the import of genetically modified soybeans. The National Biosafety Committee has granted import licenses to 39 companies. The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) lauded the move, stressing that it will aid in sourcing quality protein for feed.

Research Unlocks Secrets of Nitrogen Use in Potatoes

A recent study led by Salomé Prat, a CSIC researcher at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) in Barcelona, Spain, unveiled groundbreaking findings in a paper published in New Phytologist on the role of the StCDF1 gene in nitrogen use efficiency in potatoes.

Scientists from Vilnius University Reveal a Unique Method to Silence Genes

Scientists from Vilnius University's Life Sciences Centre (VU LSC) have revealed a new way to silence genes without cutting DNA. The study, published in Nature Communications, showed a unique gene silencing mechanism similar to pressing a “pause” button on certain genetic instructions within cells.