Topic 3: Lessons learned from national and regional laboratory collaborations

Dear colleagues,

I hope you had a nice weekend and that you are ready for the online discussions.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Kind Regards

The National Biosafety Authority -Kenya which is the competent Authority on LMOs matters has a GMO detection laboratory and has in the past informally collaborated with other CNAs in the country on GM testing. This involved samples and reagents exchange as part of inter-laboratory comparisons though not anchored on any binding framework.
Through these inter laboratory testing we are able to exchange ideas on how to optimize existing protocols, adopted new screening methods (away from the kits) and this has been very beneficial in terms of cost reduction and capacity building.
Being a newly established molecular laboratory, we can’t confidently say that we have adequate capacity to test and quantify. To bridge this gap, initiatives are underway to train and collaborate by bringing more partners on board.

In Bhutan, we are not aware of any networks of laboratories operating in our region but it would nice to have one especially at the regional level so that the opportunities for learning can be improved and technologies can be transferred to participating countries through such a forum.

For instance, the new technology like the nanoplate type digital PCR (ndPCR) used in South Korea sounds very promising in generating reliable consistent results.  The technology not having to use the CRMs in itself is an advantage for us using the RT-PCR. CRMs are expensive and it has to be procured through Reference Material Providers outside the country. Other challenge includes the validity of the CRMs i.e only for one year. And difficulties in getting the CRMs for some of the LMOs.

Dear Ms Njagi,

Thank you for your feedback.

All the best

Dear Ms Wangmo,

I hope that our colleagues will tell us more about potential networks in the region of Bhutan.

All the best

Dear colleagues,

My name is Daniela Wahler. I work for the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) in the Unit traceability, detection methods, Biosafety Clearing-House.

BVL is home to the competent national authority for the Cartagena Protocol. Also, the office of the § 28b GenTG working group is located here. It was founded on a legal mandate and consist of members of the competent national laboratories as well as representatives of the industry and academia. The § 28b GenTG working group develops and/ or validates analytical methods for official control activities in Germany. These methods are legally valid and are published in an Official Collection of Methods. Thus, harmonization and standardization of sampling, detection, identification and quantification of LMO is achieved. At the European level, the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL) serves the same goals.

In order to provide the opportunity for experts to exchange on their experiences and best practices in terms of detection and identification of LMO and to allow networking on a global level, several German Federal institutions together with the Joint Research Centre of the EU Commission and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity have organized an International Conference on GMO Analysis and New Genomic Techniques in Berlin in spring 2023 (https://www.bfr-akademie.de/english/archive/2023/gmo2023.html). Furthermore, as a means to support LMO detection laboratories in their work, the BVL (Germany) and the Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR, The Netherlands) collaborate on the EUginius database (http://www.euginius.eu). This database provides information on authorization status, reference materials and detection methods for LMO not just for the European community.

Dear Ms Wahler,

Thank you for the valuable information.

Euginius database is very interesting and practical.

Thank you for sharing the link to the International Conference as well; I was wondering if the content of the presentations was posted for information sharing.

Kind Regards

Dear Colleagues,

GMO control analysis in Brazil are made by a network of laboratories accredited to the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality based on the ISO 17.025: 2017 - General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Brazil is also an active member of the Network of official laboratories for detection of GMOs in Latin America and the Caribbean region (RLAC OGM).

Best regards,

Cairo Oliveira

Between 2009 and 2013 the southern Africa region used to have The Southern African Network of GM Detection Laboratories (SANGL) which started with 17 laboratories but later grew to 24. It offered learning platform for laboratories with different levels of operation and capacities. Existing gaps (technical and physical) were identified and later most of the laboratories’ capacities in LMO detection were built. We are one of the beneficiaries of these previous initiatives. In my own opinion, it seems this initiative was linked to an on-going project that had its own life span after which the network died down. Likely, the demand for LMO testing services then was not very high and possibly it was not a priority for some participating countries and institutions. Nevertheless, biotechnology landscape is rapidly changing in southern Africa along with regional and continental trade that all point towards the rising demand for food/product authentication including GMO declaration. As such, a functional network is essential to keep up with global trends in LMO analysis. Institutions such as the Regional Agricultural and Environmental Innovations - Africa (RAEIN-Africa) may be instrumental in this process.

Dear Mr Cairo Henrique Sousa de Oliveira,

Thank you for your feedback.

Kind Regards

Dear Mr Mtonga,

Thank you for the feedback.

Kind Regards

Dear colleagues,
An abstract book is still in preparation but will be published soon. If you are interested in individual presentations, you can watch them in full length (English language) on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4cxeorZOjEMhYygxKhYlCB_KbXilQJNN).
Kind regards,
Daniela

Dear colleagues,

Currently, Tunisia is acquiring the capacity of detection, identification and quantification of GMOs in different matrixes due to the implementation of the activity in four public institutions: (1) the National Gene Bank (http://www.bng.nat.tn); (2) the Technical Center of Agrifood (http://www.ctaa.com.tn/accueil/); (3) the Central Laboratory of Analysis and Assays (https://lcae.nat.tn/); and (4) the Laboratory of Seeds Analysis of the Ministry of Agriculture. These laboratories are already or undergoing accreditation to ISO17025.

Furthermore, a Network convention signed in 2016 between these four institutions has been implemented to better coordinate and exchange scientific and technical information regarding GMOs. These core institutions are coordinated by the Ministry in charge of the Environment and supported by different Biotechnology Institutes and Research Centers.

It should be noted that although these institutions are technically operational, they are not yet legally and administratively entitled to perform such analyses pending adoption of the national Biosafety Law.

Dear Ms Wahler,

Thank you for providing the link to the presentations.

All the best

Dear Dr Chalghoumi,

Thank you for the feedback.

All the best

Dear All,

The Middle-East and North Africa Network of GMOs Laboratories (MENANGL) was created in 2012. The network consists of 25 national laboratories in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, and United Arab Emirates.

The primary purpose of the MENANGL is to empower the member laboratories to face the challenges in the field of detection, identification and quantification of GMOs as well as harmonize the GMOs analysis procedures between the MENA countries.

Several trainings and workshops were organized in this regard:
- the first international workshop on harmonization of GMO detection and analysis in MENA region which took place in the Dead Sea, Jordan in 2012
- the initiation of stage 1 of the MENA regional project under the title of “Comparative Testing Round in the MENA Region” in 2015 during the second international workshop on GMO-analysis networking held in Varese, Italy
- stage 2 of the MENA regional project was launched in 2017 under the title “Screening of GMOs in food commodities – A study in the MENA region” during the third MENA Regional Workshop on Harmonization of GMO Detection and Analysis which was also organized in Varese, Italy

Unfortunately, the Covid 19 pandemic and the unstable political situations in some countries of the MENANGL hindered the communication between members during the last couple of years. The networking will be hopefully reestablished soon.

Thank you

Dear colleagues,

My name is Emmanuel González-Ortega. I’m trained in Biotechnology (Engineering, Ms Sc, PhD), and I have expertise in LMO detection and identification, biosafety governance, molecular biology, risk assessment, socioeconomic considerations of LMO, synthetic biology. Our research group have investigated and published on the presence of unauthorized genetically modified maize in several Mexican regions, and on the presence of genetically modified maize in highly consumed food manufactured with maize in Mexico. I have previously participated in several fora in the Cartagena Protocol of the CBD. I would like to thank the Secretariat of the CBD for the organization of the on-line forum of the Network of Laboratories for the Detection and Identification of Living Modified Organisms and for the opportunity to participate in this discussion.

In Mexico, the trajectory and activities of the LMO detection laboratories have been complex and intermittent. The Mexican Law on Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms and complementary regulations contemplates the installation and operation of a national network of LMO detection laboratories; however, the network has not operated in a continuous or harmonized manner for political, technical and economic reasons.

Unfortunately, the studies carried out between 1995-2009 aimed to detect transgenic maize, employed different sampling strategies or designs, different levels of astringency in sampling in the chosen regions were applied, and different techniques for detecting genetically modified corn were used, which ultimately prevented the compilation of data that would allow determining the degree of dispersion or frequency of the presence of transgenic maize planted without official authorization in the regions of Mexico over time.

Given the agroecological, nutritional and economic importance of maize for Mexico, recent efforts have been made to monitor and identify genetically modified maize in various regions of the country. Additionally, studies have been carried out to determine the presence of genetically modified cotton in regions where native varieties of the crop had previously been identified.

Recently, LMO monitoring efforts have been done primarily at universities and public research centers. They have focused in few laboratories on updating the methods for detecting and identifying LMO using real-time PCR (TaqMan and SybrGreen). Research was aimed to determine the presence of transgenic maize in foods industrially elaborated which are also highly consumed by the Mexican population. Efforts have also been made in these institutions to generate updated information on the presence and identity of recombinant sequences in native maize varieties in important regions of Mexico given the biological diversity of maize varieties in the chosen territories.

Currently, universities and public research centers in different regions of Mexico (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Colegio de la Frontera Sur, among others) are carrying out a joint study focused on determining the presence of transgenes and specific events of maize that would be used in the production of food at local scale, as well as maize flour that is used in the human food chain production. Additionally, a project is aimed at determining the presence of transgenic corn in a region of southeastern Mexico, it is presumed that said corn enters through the country's southern border.

At the regional level (Latin America) academic collaborations have been established between a laboratory of the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City and the food molecular traceability laboratory of the University of the Republic, in Montevideo, Uruguay. At that time, the objective of the collaboration was to update the molecular methodologies for detecting LMO, to perform joint exercises for the detection and identification of genetically modified corn and information exchange on biosafety of LMO.

There are large areas of opportunity in terms of the implementation and updating of LMO detection techniques in laboratories of educational centers and public research centers in strategic regions of Mexico. Efforts should be made to train and specialize young personnel in the detection and identification of LMO, allocation of resources for the installation of infrastructure, renewal of equipment and acquisition of supplies necessary for the detection of LMO (first generations and new generations). It is very necessary to carry out workshops or refresher courses on LMO detection and analysis techniques by the Biosafety Clearing House.
• DOI: 10.1080/21683565.2017.1372841
• DOI:   10.1080/21683565.2022.2146252
• DOI: 10.3390/plants12132514

Best regards,
Emmanuel.

Since 2016 we have trained official personnel from Latin American countries, as a collaboration between countries. In 2016 we hosted the regional LMO detection workshop for Latin America. We are part of the central node of the network of GMO detection laboratories in Mexico, and we are part of the Latin American network coordinated by the ENGL. Unfortunately the networks are inactive, so we have had great progress directly with the laboratories of countries such as Cuba, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia

Dear Dr Gonzalez-Ortega,

Thank you for the comprehensive presentation.

Kind Regards

Dear Ms Barrera Andrade,

Thank you for your feedback.

All the best

Dear participants and esteemed colleagues,
My name is Nancy Serrano-Silva, and I am affiliated with the Executive Secretariat of the Interministerial Commission for the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms in Mexico.
I would like to reinforce the valuable insights shared regarding the lessons learned from collaborations between national and regional laboratories, focusing on the specific situation in Mexico. As highlighted earlier, despite the Mexican Law on Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms envisioning the creation of a national network of laboratories for OVM detection, its implementation has been complex, facing political, technical, and economic challenges.
The recent attention to the detection of genetically modified maize in various regions of the country, along with the identification of transgenic corn in widely consumed foods, reflects the growing awareness of the cultural, nutritional, and economic importance of these issues for Mexico. Additionally, research on the presence of genetically modified cotton in areas where native varieties were previously identified underscores the need for continuous and rigorous monitoring.
To a large extent, these OVM monitoring efforts have been concentrated in universities and public research centers. However, there are significant opportunities for the implementation and updating of OVM detection techniques, especially in strategically important regions of the country. I fully agree with the need to promote training and specialization of personnel in OVM detection and identification, as well as allocating resources for infrastructure installation, equipment renewal, and the acquisition of necessary supplies. The organization of workshops and courses on OVM detection and analysis techniques, promoted by entities like the Biosafety Clearing House, is crucial. This not only strengthens existing capacities but also contributes to bridging gaps in the implementation and updating of detection methods, both for early and new generations of OVM.
I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this enriching forum.
Sincerely,
Nancy

Dear Participants of the Online discussions of the Network of Laboratories for the Detection and Identification of Living Modified Organisms,
Thank you for your thoughtful interventions and active participation.
The forum is now closed for comments.
Thank you,
The Secretariat