European Commission changes GMO policy: Amflora potato and GM maize approved

03.03.10 Brussels – The European Commission yesterday changed its GMO policy, with the approval of BASF’s GM potato Amflora for commercial cultivation in the EU and authorisation for the import of 4 genetically engineered maize strains... more

Global GMO acreage growth declines

23.02.10 Manila – Global acreage of genetically engineered crops reached 134 million hectares (ha) in the last year, according to the annual statistics of the ISAAA (more). Although this is an increase of 7.1% compared to 2008 figures,... more

Induced pluripotent stem cells not appropriate to study disease mechanims

16.02.10 Madison – Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) differentiate less efficiently than human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and develop into functional neurons in highly variable amounts. Consequently, they may be not... more

Barroso reject rumors about fast Amflora approval

09.02.10 Brussels – In the last few weeks, BASF officials have been wondering why anti-GMO groups had launched a new campaign against the genetically modified potato Amflora, which is pending for EU approval. On Monday, it seems they have... more

EM(E)A updates, structure and URL

01.02.10 London – The European Medicines Agency (formerly EMEA, now EMA) reported in January that it is adapting its organisational structure to its increasing workload and interactions with patient and consumer organisations. Human pre-... more