Drought tolerant wheat IND-ØØ412-7 is nutritionally equivalent to its Non-Transgenic Comparator.

Expression of the HAHB4 sunflower transcription factor confers drought tolerance to wheat event IND-ØØ412-7 (HB4® wheat). After confirming the compositional equivalence of event IND-ØØ412-7 with conventional wheat, its nutritional similarity to its non-genetically modified (GM) counterpart was analyzed by performing a 42-day broiler feeding study. Isoenergetic diets containing 40% flour from wheat event IND-ØØ412-7, its non-GM counterpart Cadenza, and a commercial variety were included in the study.

Compositional analysis of soybean event IND-ØØ41Ø-5.

Soybean ( L.) is the world's largest source of protein feed and the second largest source of vegetable oil. Water restriction is the main limiting factor to achieve maximum soybean yields.

Compositional equivalence of event IND-ØØ412-7 to non-transgenic wheat.

Wheat is the most widely grown cereal grain, occupying a significant portion of the total cultivated land. As drought is the major environmental stressor affecting crop production, yield maintenance under water deficit conditions appears as a highly desirable phenotype for crop improvement. The HaHB4 (Helianthus annuus homeobox 4) gene from sunflower encodes for a transcription factor involved in tolerance to environmental stress.

Development of a construct-based risk assessment framework for genetic engineered crops.

Experience gained in the risk assessment (RA) of genetically engineered (GE) crops since their first experimental introductions in the early nineties, has increased the level of familiarity with these breeding methodologies and has motivated several agencies and expert groups worldwide to revisit the scientific criteria underlying the RA process. Along these lines, the need to engage in a scientific discussion for the case of GE crops transformed with similar constructs was recently identified in Argentina. In response to this need, the Argentine branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI Argentina) convened a tripartite working group to discuss a science-based evaluation approach for transformation events developed with genetic constructs which are identical or similar to those used in previously evaluated or approved GE crops.

Recommendations from the workshop on Comparative Approaches to Safety Assessment of GM Plant Materials: A road toward harmonized criteria?

An international meeting of genetically modified (GM) food safety assessors from the main importing and exporting countries from Asia and the Americas was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between June 26(th) and 28(th), 2013. Participants shared their evaluation approaches, identified similarities and challenges, and used their experience to propose areas for future work. Recommendations for improving risk assessment procedures and avenues for future collaboration were also discussed.

Experience from use of GMOs in Argentinian agriculture, economy and environment.

Argentina is the second largest grower of genetically modified (GM) crops. This high level of adoption of this new agricultural technology is the result of a complex combination of circumstances. We can identify four main causes that led to this: political support (from agriculture officials), ability to solve prevalent farmers' needs, economic and environmental factors and an early implementation of effective regulations.

Problem formulation in the environmental risk assessment for genetically modified plants.

Problem formulation is the first step in environmental risk assessment (ERA) where policy goals, scope, assessment endpoints, and methodology are distilled to an explicitly stated problem and approach for analysis. The consistency and utility of ERAs for genetically modified (GM) plants can be improved through rigorous problem formulation (PF), producing an analysis plan that describes relevant exposure scenarios and the potential consequences of these scenarios. A properly executed PF assures the relevance of ERA outcomes for decision-making.

Safety assessment of food products from r-DNA animals.

Recombinant-DNA (transgenic) animals intended for food production are approaching the market. Among them, recombinant-DNA fishes constitute the most advanced case. As a result, intergovernmental organizations are working on guidelines which would eventually become international standards for national food safety assessments of these products.