Genetically modi.ed organisms:implications within the microbial and plant kingdoms

Abstract

The progress accomplished during the last three decades concerning the knowledge of microbial and plant genomes, along with modern biotechnological tools, open prospects for some solutions of speci.c problems in such .elds as: health, food production, agriculture and environment. Adoption of these approaches may .nd a compromise between productivity, transformation of added-value products, increase of yields for crops better adapted to stress and preservation of global ecological balances. Applications of GMOs – microorganisms and plants – in medical and therapeutic .elds are of obvious interest. However, their use in agriculture, their presence in the food chain and in the environment raise many scienti.c issues that lead to controversy about environmental, health and ethical implications.

This paper presents in the .rst place the different .elds for the use of microbial and plant GMOs. A balanced assessment of the economic and environmental challenges of GMO crops present on the world market is made while comparing the bene.ts, eventual fears, as well as ethical and social issues. Then, an overview of the relevant biosafety measures is presented.

Some unprecedented innovation prospects can be expected from the recent development of new revolutionary technologies. However, some issues are raised with regard to the risk-evaluation principles and procedures concerning these emerging genome engineering techniques.