Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Risk assessment of lactic acid bacteria obtained using new genomic tec...
A guideline of actual risks and benefits for the food chain will be realised to promote an independent point of view. Safety of bacteria derived from genome editing (GE) by using intragenesis and synthetic biology will be assessed using model organisms. The RA will be conducted considering deliberate release for food production or for fermentations in confined environments. WGS approaches for RA of GE-strains will be applied. Lab-scale models to study the fate of GE- bacteria and their DNA will be developed following recent EFSA indications.
Systematic review on GMO and NBT practical case studies (M36)
Completion of risk assessment of GE bacteria (M36)
Models for assessing the fate of GE bacteria in food (M36)
Collection and analysis of scientific documents and case studies about GMO & NBT effective risks and benefits (M36)
A growing number of scientific publications demonstrate the potential of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) to improve the characteristics of microorganisms, since they allow precise DNA modifications without markers or further unwanted alterations in the genome. Some lactic acid bacteria harbour CRISPR-Cas system (partial or complete) that can be used to insert modifications in a strain genome, obtaining strains improved in functionality or/and in safety traits.
In the EU currently these techniques are considered GMO. However, a EU study from 2021, concluded that the current GMO framework is not fit for purpose and it is not taking into account new scientific developments and opportunities.
Sacco Srl has recently developed a strain obtained using NGT, with improved safety when compared to its wild type.
The operational plan would include the definition and the setting of specific assays enabling comparison of the NGT-derived strain to the wild-type strain. The purposes are demonstrating safety of the NGT-derived strain as well as bioequivalence among the two strains.
Demonstration of the safety of the NGT techniques, after the specific risk assessment done on the two compared strains.
