Determining the effects of genetically modified (GM) crops on non-target organisms is essential as many non-target species provide important ecological functions. However, it is simply not possible to collect field data on more than a few potential non-target species present in the receiving environment of a GM crop. While risk assessment must be rigorous, new approaches are necessary to improv...

Protection of intellectual property embedded in potentially reproducible living organisms presents some unique and difficult challenges. Biological innovations like genetically modified (GM) seed are self-replicating, and as a result, represent a form of durable good with a potential product life extending far into the future. This gives rise to two problems: the need for copy protection of int...

BACKGROUND Safety assessment of genetically modified organisms is currently often performed by comparative evaluation. However, natural variation of plant characteristics between commercial varieties is usually not considered explicitly in the statistical computations underlying the assessment. RESULTS Statistical methods are described for the assessment of the difference between a geneticall...

In many countries, genetically modified organisms (GMO) legislations have been established in order to guarantee the traceability of food/feed products on the market and to protect the consumer freedom of choice. Therefore, several GMO detection strategies, mainly based on DNA, have been developed to implement these legislations. Due to its numerous advantages, the quantitative PCR (qPCR) is th...

BACKGROUND Genetically modified crops (GM crops) have been developed to improve the agricultural traits of modern crop cultivars. Safety assessments of GM crops are of paramount importance in research at developmental stages and before releasing transgenic plants into the marketplace. Sequencing technology is developing rapidly, with higher output and labor efficiencies, and will eventually rep...

Independent of the left-right model of ideological structure, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food and agriculture are resented across the political spectrum in Switzerland. In the absence of any real experience with genetically modified (GM) food but faced with continuous exposure to warning messages in the media, conditioned feelings related to such a politically sensitive product ma...

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the stable transfer of genetic material from one organism to another without reproduction or human intervention. Transfer occurs by the passage of donor genetic material across cellular boundaries, followed by heritable incorporation to the genome of the recipient organism. In addition to conjugation, transformation and transduction, other diverse mechanisms of...

Background: Survival of Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is considerably stage-dependent therefore, early diagnosis is a pivotal factor in decreasing mortality and morbidity associated with this cancer. GM-CSF and IL-7 are reported to increase in different cancers and we aim to investigate the pre-treatment serum levels of GM-CSF and IL-7 in Iranian patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: ...