www.czu.cz ; www.usab-tm.ro ; www.raupp.info

The German government is to support research into the safety of genetically
modified (GM) plants with ten million euro over the next three years, June
2005.

Some 24 projects will receive the funding, all of which will investigate
the effects that GM plants works have on the effectiveness of antibiotics
and herbicides.

Antibiotic resistance markers are important tools for the development of
genetically modified crops. They are used to identify and isolate the gene
or genes that have been moved from one plant to a plant that is to be
genetically modified. Seven of the projects will address the replacement of
antibiotics and herbicide resistance genes. The researchers will seek to
develop methods to remove the marker gene after the creation of transgenic
plants, or to ensure that it is only present in a specified area of the
genome, in order to avoid unwanted side effects.

Nine projects will focus on transgenic varieties of maize. The maize
contains the Bt gene, which is resistant to certain insects that damage the
root of the crop. The projects will investigate the ecological impact of
growing the crops containing Bt, as well as the potential ability of the
insects to develop a resistance to the gene.

Other projects will look into the biological safety of transgenic cereal
crops with resistance to fungus, and the impact of growing transgenic
potatoes on the quality of the land.

The results of the studies will be made available at the following web
address: [www.biosicherheit.de]

[dbs.cordis.lu]

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