Scientific Programme

The symposium will be dedicated to the following topics:

Scientific contributions to risk assessment of GMOs

According to the regulatory standards, risk assessment must be carried out in a scientifically sound and transparent manner based on available scientific and technical data and on a defined methodology for the identification, collection and interpretation of relevant data. Scientific research and the development of new technologies and conceptual tools in diverse disciplines have contributed to the establishment of a comprehensive methodology for risk assessment of GMOs. Introductory talks will present to the participants key issues of risk assessment of GMOs and will highlight benefits and/or pitfalls that may arise while building bridges between scientific research and risk assessment.

Epigenetic effects

“Epigenetics” defines the study of changes in the genome functions that occur without a change in DNA sequence. While most genetic modification applications ultimately are focused on obtaining new phenotypes, epigenetic research is interested in the molecular basis and implications of genetic modification at molecular level. This field of research may have the potential to better understand the molecular basis of potential unintended effects associated with genetic modification such as altered gene expression of non-target genes or altered accessibility of regulatory sequences for DNA binding proteins due to disruption and/or rearrangements of genomic sequences or modifications in chromatin structure. This session will focus on current developments in this field and will give a critical view on how a better understanding of epigenetics might or might not contribute to the risk assessment of GMOs.

Genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMs) : vectors for gene delivery

The genetic engineering of viruses and other biological agents provide a tool for both basic research and gene therapy applications as new gene transfer vehicles with improved efficacy, specificity and safety can be developed. It is recognized that experimental research related to this field is often driven by functional qualities (e.g. productivity and transduction efficiency) and patient safety considerations (gene therapy potential). However, the manipulation or administration of GMMs during experimental work or clinical trials respectively calls for an assessment as regards the potential risks posed for human health and environment as well. This session will highlight how experimental results and developments could directly or indirectly benefit the risk assessment of GMMs.

Field studies and their contribution to environmental risk assessment of GM plants

This session will take a closer look at the link between basic ecology research and the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified plants, thereby introducing the conceptual tools of problem formulation and risk hypothesis. Subsequently, it will address the role, the relevance, the difficulties encountered with and the design of field trials in testing risk hypotheses (tiered assessment approach).

‘OMICS’

‘Omics’ involves different analytical techniques such as genomics (the quantitative study of genes, regulatory and non-coding sequences), transcriptomics (RNA and gene expression), proteomics (protein expression), metabolomics (metabolites and metabolic networks). While the technical aspects in collecting ‘omics’ data set are continuously improving, the abundance of information generated rises challenges as regards the extraction of discernable biological meaning. Through several presentations exemplifying the potential application of ‘omics’ in the safety assessment of GMOs, such as for the comparative assessment of GM plants, the relevance of integrating ‘omics’ data set in the risk assessment will be addressed.