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European discussion forum on transgenic tree biosafety

Nature Biotechnology volume 30, pages 37–38 (2012)Cite this article

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To the Editor:

Since the first published description of a genetically modified (GM) poplar by Fillatti and co-workers1 in 1987, the environmental release of GM trees has spurred public debate worldwide, particularly in the context of commercialization. Although the issues raised in public discussion are similar in many countries, marked political differences have emerged in various countries as to the acceptability of field applications of GM trees, the amount of public funding devoted to GM tree research and the regulatory priorities regarding biosafety issues. Consequently, a large but diverse and fragmented body of knowledge on the environmental interactions and safety of transgenic trees and other (transgenic) organisms has been acquired over the past 25 years.

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References

  1. Fillati, J.J. et al. Mol. Gen. Genet. 206, 192–199 (1987)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johann Heinrich von Thuenen Institute, Institute of Forest Genetics, Grosshansdorf, Germany

    Matthias Fladung & Hans Hoenicka

  2. Microbiology & Immunology Department, University of Ottawa, Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Illimar Altosaar

  3. Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Unit 404: Coexistence, GMO-Monitoring, Berlin, Germany

    Detlef Bartsch

  4. Laboratoire de Biotechnologie Végétale, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium

    Marie Baucher

  5. Regione Toscana, Regional Government, DG Competitiveness and Development, Florence, Italy

    Fabio Boscaleri

  6. Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Universidad de Málaga, Facultad de Ciencias e Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología, Málaga, Spain

    Fernando Gallardo

  7. Department of Biology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Hely Häggman

  8. Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    Kaare Nielsen

  9. Department of Agricultural and Forest Economics, University of Florence, Engineering, Sciences and Technologies, Florence, Italy

    Donatella Paffetti

  10. Natural Resources Canada, Québec, Canada

    Armand Séguin

  11. Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York, USA

    Guenther Stotzky

  12. Division of Florence, Plant Genetics Institute, National Research Council, Florence, Italy

    Cristina Vettori

Authors
  1. Matthias Fladung
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  2. Illimar Altosaar
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  3. Detlef Bartsch
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  4. Marie Baucher
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  5. Fabio Boscaleri
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  6. Fernando Gallardo
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  7. Hely Häggman
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  8. Hans Hoenicka
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  9. Kaare Nielsen
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  10. Donatella Paffetti
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  11. Armand Séguin
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  12. Guenther Stotzky
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  13. Cristina Vettori
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Correspondence to Matthias Fladung.

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Fladung, M., Altosaar, I., Bartsch, D. et al. European discussion forum on transgenic tree biosafety. Nat Biotechnol 30, 37–38 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.2078

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