GM Salmon Debacle “A Taste of Worse to Come”?
A recent Nature editorial warns that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s
(FDA’s) reluctance to approve genetically-modified (GM) salmon for
market could hinder future research into new gene-editing techniques.
Titled “Fishy Business,” the article claims that even though a draft assessment
found AquaBounty Technologies’ GM salmon “environmentally benign,” FDA
conducted many of its deliberations “behind closed doors, fuelling confusion
as to the cause of the setbacks, and rumors of political interference.”
“As the delays have dragged on, the technology used to make AquaBounty’s
salmon has become outdated,” explains the editorial. “In the current excitement
over targeted gene editing that allows researchers to modify individual
genes without leaving traces of foreign DNA, AquaBounty’s salmon—which
contain a gene from another species—seem like a relic.”
Meanwhile, FDA has yet to decide “how it will evaluate animals engineered
with gene-editing techniques.” Raising questions about how these new
products will fare under FDA’s oversight, the article urges the agency to “bring
these discussions before the public, and leave political considerations at the
door.” See Nature, July 31, 2014.
Issue 532
