New R&D norms to fast-track research on genome-edited crops

New R&D norms to fast-track research on genome-edited crops

Subject : Science & technology

Context :The department of biotechnology (DBT) on Tuesday issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for research and development (R&D) on certain types of genome edited plants, which is expected to accelerate crop yields and agricultural productivity.

Concept :

• Earlier, the environment ministry, in a notification in March 2022, had exempted site directed nuclease (SDN) 1 and 2 genomes from rules 7-11 of the Environment Protection Act.
• Thus avoiding a long process for approval of genetically modified (GM) crops through the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).
• The GEAC evaluates research into GM plants and recommends, or disapproves, their release into farmer fields.
• The final call, however, is taken by the Environment Ministeras well as States where such plants could be cultivated.
• Expert committee constituted by DBT has issued the SOPs in line with the notification, provide for a regulatory road map and requirement for R&D to meet the threshold for exemptions of genome edited plants under the SDN1 OR SDN 2 categories.

Genome Editing

• Genome editing enables modification of plants’ owned genes, without insertion of external genes, as with GM crops.
• Genome-edited varieties possess no foreign DNA and are indistinguishable from crops developed through conventional plant-breeding methods, or using naturally occurring mutations.

Approaches to Genome Editing:

• Several approaches to genome editing have been developed. A well-known one is called CRISPR-Cas9.
• CRISPR-Cas9 is short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9.
• This tool has opened up various possibilities in plant breeding. Using this tool, agricultural scientists can now edit the genome to insert specific traits in the gene sequence.
• Depending on the nature of the edit that is carried out, the process is divided into three categories — SDN 1, SDN 2 and SDN 3.
• Site Directed Nuclease (SDN) 1 introduces changes in the host genome’s DNA through small insertions/deletions without introduction of foreign genetic material.
• In SDN 2, the edit involves using a small DNA template to generate specific changes. Both these processes do not involve alien genetic material and the end result is indistinguishable from conventionally bred crop varieties.
• The SDN3 process involves larger DNA elements or full-length genes of foreign origin which makes it similar to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) development.

Difference between Gene Editing and Genetic Modification

• To create genetically modified crops and animals, scientists will typically remove the preferred gene from one organism and randomly introduce it into another organism.
• A well-known genetically modified type of crop is Bt corn and cotton, where a bacterial gene was introduced that produces insecticidal toxins into the part of the plant where the insect eats, causing death to the insect.
• In simple terms, gene editing is a small, controlled tweak to a living organism’s existing DNA versus the introduction of a new, foreign gene.
• It is nearly impossible to detect whether an organism’s DNA has been edited or not because the changes are indistinguishable from naturally occurring mutations.