The Max Planck Society has formulated its position on genome editing in a
discussion paper which will be made available at the beginning of June. The
society has decided to contribute the expertise of its scientists to foster
scientific and societal debate on the subject.

The discussion paper calls for European legislation to be adapted to the
current state of research and for plants with edited genetic material to no
longer be classified as genically modified if they imitate the natural
process of mutagenesis.

"The position paper reflects the great potential of genome editing and the
ethical and legal challenges it poses. The Max Planck Society wants to show
how science can use this potential responsibly in order to gain important
insights for the benefit of society, especially with regard to new
applications in the fields of medicine and nutrition," says Martin
Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society who also commissioned the
Society's Ethics Council to review the state of knowledge on genome editing.

[www.mpg.de]