FAQs - Genetically Modified Organisms

What is genetic modification and what are genetically modified organisms?

The characteristics of living things are largely determined by DNA. Plants, animals, or bacteria whose DNA had been altered by molecular techniques are termed genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

With the advancement of biotechnology, scientists have developed special biochemical scissors and glue which enables them to “cut” and “paste” specific segments of DNA (called genes) from one living thing to another. The newly introduced DNA brings new characteristics to the resultant GMO.

Genetic modification is being applied to develop new benefits, such as creating crop plants with new traits and bacteria which produce pharmaceutical products.

Diagram 1 below is a simple representation of how an originally pest-susceptible plant can be genetically modified to carry a bacterial gene which makes it pest-resistant.

What are the differences between genetic modification and conventional breeding?

Both conventional breeding and genetic modification are methods for intentional manipulation of an organism’s heritable traits. To illustrate the differences, we take the example of producing drought-resistant corn.

To make an originally susceptible corn variety resistant to drought, conventional breeders can cross the susceptible corn variety with its resistant wild cousin. Offsprings exhibiting drought-resistance (i.e. the desired quality) are then selected and crossed with its resistant parent (backcrossing). The subsequent offsprings are subjected to several more generations of backcrossing and selection before a new variety of corn stably exhibiting drought-resistance can be achieved.

As conventional breeding involves the transfer of many thousands of genes randomly, the outcomes are often difficult to predict and it typically takes many years before an organism with the desired characteristics can be produced. Conventional breeding is also dependent on genetic compatibility of donor and recipient organisms. As such, breeders may not be able to cross distantly-related species, or the resultant offsprings may not be viable.

Genetic modification, on the other hand, is a more precise method. As we can see from Diagram 1, it involves the identification, isolation, and introduction of specific gene(s) from donor to recipient organisms. Genetic modification also permits the transfer of genes between totally different organisms, for example from a turnip to a cereal grain or from a bacterium to corn. The first use of this was in the 1980s, where E.coli bacterium was genetically modified to carry human insulin gene. As a result of this technology, high quality insulin can now be produced cheaply for diabetic patients.

What are the benefits derived from GMOs?

GMOs can be valuable in many ways. Medical, agricultural, and aesthetic applications of GM animals and microorganisms are detailed under other FAQ subsections.

The regular consumer may be more interested in knowing more about the benefits of GM foods. To date, all GM foods available commercially are derived from so-called “first generation” GM plants which have been bioengineered for agronomic benefits such as pest- and herbicide-resistance.

Proponents of pest-resistant GM crops say that the application of GM technology limits the need for spraying of pesticides and that this can have a beneficial impact on the environment.

According to ISAAA’s 2012 Review on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops, more than 15 million of biotech crop farmers were small, resource-poor farmers from developing countries whose increased income from biotech crops can contribute to alleviation of their poverty.

While the "first generation" GM crops do not have direct consumer benefits, some people believe that genetic modification provides a solution to the problem of global malnutrition. Scientists have developed “second generation” GM plants with enhanced nutritional contents. Although none of these have yet been commercialized, several are in the pipeline for regulatory approval. A good example will be “Golden Rice” that is rich in pro-vitaminA. The WHO estimates that up to half a million children go blind each year because of vitamin A deficiency. With this in mind, some people see “Golden Rice” as having the potential of reducing childhood blindness in developing countries.

What are the authorities doing to regulate gene modification?

The Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) was established in Singapore in April 1999 to oversee and advise on the R & D, production, use, handling and release of GMOs in Singapore, ensuring that these are done in compliance with international standards.

As a non-regulatory advisory committee, GMAC works very closely with the regulatory authorities (the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, Ministry of Health, NParks etc) to ensure that appropriate regulation of gene modification and its products is in place.

In this regard, GMAC has formulated and released the Singapore Guidelines on the Release of Agriculture-Related GMOs to ensure that safe movement and use of agriculture-related GMOs within Singapore is observed. A second set of guidelines – the Singapore Biosafety Guidelines for Research on GMOs, was officially launched in May 2006 to ensure the safe containment, handling and transport of genetically modified organisms used in research. The Singapoer Biosafety Guidelines for Research on GMOs was revised in 2013 to keep relevant to advancing trends in the field of biomedical research.

Is genetic modification more dangerous than conventional breeding?

Genetic modification can be as safe as traditional breeding. When crossing two plants using conventional breeding techniques, breeders mix thousands of genes in order to acquire one or a few genetic traits.

To remove unwanted traits, breeders spend many years back-crossing the new plant varieties repeatedly with plants whose genetic components are well known. This slowly dilutes the impact of all those unwanted genetic traits that came along with the few beneficial traits.
Genetic modification brings to traditional plant breeding the ability to move specific gene(s) instead of having to move thousands at one time.

This could prevent the introduction of unwanted traits and thereby offers a more predictable, and arguably safer method to produce plants with desirable traits.

What are the potential risks of GMOs?

With every new emerging technology, there are potential risks. For GMOs, the potential risks include:

• The danger of unintentionally introducing allergens and other anti-nutrition factors in foods

• The likelihood of transgenes escaping from cultivated GM crops into wild relatives

• The potential for pests to evolve resistance to the toxins produced by GM crops

• The risk of these toxins affecting non-target organisms

Where legislation and regulatory institutions are in place, there are elaborate steps to precisely avoid or mitigate these risks. It is the obligation of the technology innovators (i.e. scientists), producers, and the government to assure the public of the safety of the novel foods.

GMAC has drawn up guidelines for safe production, handling, and utilization of GMOs. We work very closely with the regulatory authorities to ensure that the potential benefits of biotechnology can be realized while keeping risks to a minimum.