Federal Institute for Risk Assessment

03/10/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/10/2023 04:17

Detecting genetic modifications

Detecting genetic modifications

05/2023, 10.03.2023

International Conference on GMO Analysis and New Genomic Techniques to be held in Berlin, 14-16 March

The "International Conference on GMO Analysis and New Genomic Techniques" will take place both on site in Berlin and virtually from 14 to 16 March 2023. The three-day event will bring together scientists from five continents to exchange research projects and results on the detection and identification of genetic modifications. The focus is on food, feed and seed. In addition to the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the organisers are the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) of the United Nations.

The conference programme:

The conference offers scientists a forum for exchange on the status and challenges in traceability, detection and identification of genetic modifications. A focus is on the rapidly developing DNA-based detection methods. The conference will contribute to knowledge transfer and capacity building for professionals and laboratories involved in the detection and identification of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and serve as a platform for national and international networking.

The methods for detecting genetic modifications in products and assigning them to a genetically modified organism (GMO) have become more and more scientifically and technically refined in recent years. This includes not only developments such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), but also other approaches aimed at overcoming the analytical challenges arising from the use of new genomic techniques, such as the gene scissors CRISPR/Cas9. These new developments and trends call for more regular scientific exchange on GMO detection techniques and analysis within the international community.

About the BfR

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution in the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). It advises the Federal Government and the Federal States on questions of food, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.

This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.

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