Scarica l’articolo (qui) da La Repubblica del 30.08.08

Recent empirical evidence from gene-chips is confirming the considered judgment of geneticists - that genetic engineering is more precise than conventional breeding- is indeed correct.

These gene activity testing devices are providing solid confirmation that transgenic rice, wheat , soybean and thale cress are substantially equivalent to their non-transgenic counterparts.

Gene chips (known also as microarrays) enable the activity of thousands of genes to be measured. Many new studies with these chips listed below convincingly demonstrate that insertion of transgene DNA causes minor perturbation to transcription activity of other genes.

Use of gene-chips to comprehensively survey tens of thousands of genes is revealing that the unintended, unexpected effects of transgenes are small compared to perturbations caused by conventional cross-breeding, which typically perturb an order of magnitude more unrelated genes away from those at the insert target (Baudo 2006, Batista 2008, Cheng 2008, El Ouakfaoui, Miki 2005)

Radiation treatment used to deliberately create mutations in many existing crops also causes many more gene activity perturbation than does transgene insertion (Batista 2008, Dubouzet 2007, Zhang 2006). Note that apart from the intended trait, transgene insertion is generally silent in terms of change to plant phenotype(appearance) (Bouché N, Bouchez D. 2001) .

Yes indeed, transgene inserts are generally clean events as far as unexpected changes to untargeted gene activities. Transgenes are clean genes.

Approval has been granted for Australia’s first trial of genetically-modified bananas will go ahead in Innisfail in Far North Queensland.

Scientists from the Queensland University of Technology will conduct two trials to test their nutrient content and to improve disease resistance.

Professor James Dale says the plants are sterile so there is no danger of cross-pollination with other crops.

“They don’t form any seed and the pollen is essentially sterile so the chances of there being any cross-pollination from the genetically modified bananas to conventional bananas is, I would say nil,” he said.