We've released the new precision breeding procedures
We know gene editing regulations are changing globally but less is shared on the field trial procedures.
We know gene editing regulations are changing globally but less is shared on the field trial procedures, so we made a resource for the community on how John Innes Centre handle this.1
The John Innes Centre (JIC) has published guidelines for conducting field trials of precision-bred plants under England’s new regulatory framework.2
A ‘precision bred’ plant contains genetic features produced using modern biotechnology that could also have been produced by traditional processes.
The JIC guidelines are shared as a resource to help others in the plant science, crop breeding and regulatory community.
The guidance covers three areas:
✅ Confirming precision bred status, centred on whole genome sequencing using either short-read (e.g. Illumina) or long-read (e.g. Oxford Nanopore) technologies to confirm the absence of transgenes. 🚜 Containment protocols for field trial management. 📋 A risk assessment document with suggested scenarios for potential risk such as accidental transgene persistence to combine harvester carry-over.
Hopefully this guide serves as a resource that can be easily adapted into a wide range of GE field trial contexts.
The guidelines are live on Zenodo 👉 https://zenodo.org/records/19335698
Great to join a fantastic team of authors on this, dedicated to helping others in the field: James Simmonds, Dr Penny Hundleby CSci, FRSB, Nikolai Adamski, Burkhard Steuernagel Christopher Darby, Diane Saunders, Cristóbal Uauy, Darryl Playford (and me).
Oh and if you’re interested in updates about GE regulatory change etc. you can now follow these updates on a new website from me and Godfrey M. Ngure, Ph.D. 👉 https://cropgeregulations.com/