Collection of Biosafety Reviews

A compilation of scientific studies on areas of major interest for biosafety and risk assessment prepared by internationally-recognised scientists. Download individual articles, arranged in volumes under broad topic areas, from this page.

Vol 10 (2018)

Socio-economic Considerations in Regularly Decision-making on Genetically Modified Crops (Ruth Mampuys)
Risk Communication (Michael Wach)
Global Trends and Developments in Confined Field Trials with Genetically Modified Plants (Greet Smets, Patrick Rüdelsheim)

Vol 9 (2015)

Containment Management for Research and Development of GM Crops (Patrick Rüdelsheim)
GM Algae for Biofuel Production: Biosafety and Risk Assessment (Shashi Kumar)

Vol 8 (2013)

Building an Effective Biosafety Regulatory System: The Nuts and Bolts (Paul Keese)
Addressing Biosafety and Regulatory Issues Throughout the Product Life Cycle of a GM Crop (Patrick Rüdelsheim)
Safety Assessment of Food and Feed Derived from GM Crops: Using Problem Formulation to Ensure Fit for Purpose Risk Assessment (Monica Garcia-Alonso)

Vol 7 (2012)

Generation of Genetically Modified Animals (Louis-Marie Houdebine, Martin Alfredo Lema, Moisés Burachick)
Advances in the Development of Genetically Modified Animals (Louis-Marie Houdebine, Martin Alfredo Lema, Moisés Burachick)
Food Safety Assessment of Products from Genetically Modified Animals (Louis-Marie Houdebine, Martin Alfredo Lema, Moisés Burachick)

Vol 6 (2012)

Problem Formulation in Environmental Risk Assessment for Genetically Modified Crops: A Praticioner’s Approach (Alan Gray)
Genetically Modified Insects: Science, Use, Status and Regulation (Camilla J. Beech, Martha Koukidou and Luke Alphey)
Developing Workable Regulatory Framework for the Environmental Release of Transgenic Plants (Phil Macdonald)

Vol 5 (2010)

Genetically Modified Plants and “Non Target” Organisms: Analysing the Functioning of the Agro-ecosystem (Salvatore Arpaia)
Safety Assessment of GMO-derived Foods (Esther J. Kok, Jeroen P. van Dijk, Theo W. Prins and Gijs A. Kleter)
An Overview to the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Crops (Wendy Craig, Marianela Araya Quesada, Remigiusz Lewandowski, Giuliano Degrassi and Decio Ripandelli)

Vol 4 (2008)

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (Julian Kinderlerer)
Transgene Escape from GM Crops and Potential Biosafety Consequences: An Environmental Perspective (Bao-Rong Lu)
The Risk of Resistance Evolution in Insects to Transgenic Insecticidal Crops (David A. Andow)

Vol 3 (2007)

From Sampling to Quantification: Development and Harmonisation of Procedures for GMO Testing in the European Union (Maddalena Querci, Claudia Paoletti and Guy Van den Eede)
Estimating the Potential for Ecological Harm for Gene Flow to Crop Wild Relatives (Mike J. Wilkinson and Caroline S. Ford)

Vol 2 (2005)

The Problems with Invasive Alien Species and Implications for GMOs (Jeffrey A. McNeely)
GM Fish in the Context of Biosafety (Norman Maclean)
Potential Environmental Impacts of Herbicide-Resistant Crops (Stephen O. Duke and Antonio L. Cerdeira)

Vol 1 (2003)

Fate and Effects in Soil of the Insecticidal Toxins from Bacillus Thuringiensis in Transgenic Plants (Deepak Saxena and Guenther Stotzky)
Biosafety Considerations Relevant to Virus-resistant Transgenic Plant, in Particular to Tomato Resistant to CMV (Mark Tepfer)
An Assessment of Factors Affecting the Likelihood of Horizontal Transfer of Recombinant Plant DNA to Bacterial Recipients in the Soil and Phytosphere (Kaare M. Nielsen)

The Italian Ministry for Environment, for the Protection of the Territory and the Sea  (MATTM) is the Italian Government authority responsible for the implementation of environmental policies, and is the National Competent Authority for the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment, under Legislative Decree 8 July 2003 No. 224, implementing Directive 2001/18/EC.

The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) is an international, non-profit research organisation with components in Trieste, New Delhi and Cape Town,  and provides its Member States and other countries with technical assistance and advisory services related to the safe and sustainable use of biotechnology in agriculture, and in particular to the regulation of GMOs. 

MATTM and ICGEB have been actively collaborating in biosafety capacity building activities since 2000, in the preparation for, and implementation of, MATTM’s obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) which Italy ratified on 29 March 2004. The purpose of the CPB is to protect biological diversity from potential adverse effects that may be posed by GMOs. The main objective of the MATTM/ICGEB cooperation is therefore to improve individual and institutional capacity within the international community to analyse, inform and make decisions in order to reduce potential risks related to GMOs. The collaboration does so by providing scientific and technical training, developing regulatory processes, and by disseminating essential scientific and technical data. 

A key outcome of the collaboration to date has been the successful establishment of the national Biosafety Clearing House (BCH; https://bch.minambiente.it/EN/index.asp), to assist the promotion of public awareness and the exchange of information on biosafety; this is in addition to the other collaborative activities, including the organising and hosting of biosafety training workshops, the development of key Internet-based tools and databases, and the production and dissemination of related technical and scientific material.

The Collection of Biosafety Reviews is a practical example of a dissemination tool developed as a result of the collaboration, and is freely-available for download from the webpages of both the ICGEB and the Ministry of Environment. The Collection has been published since 2003, and comprises articles authored by internationally-recognised scientists and experts, and which provide state-of-the-art knowledge and approaches in the field of biosafety, GMO regulation and risk assessment.