The DARWIN project brings together scientists from various institutions across Europe and from Israel and Argentine, with the objective “to develop detection methods for plant-based NGT products”. According to a recent press release from the project team: “With the planned new methods it will not only be possible to detect known DNA sequences (specific detection), but also to identify the method used to create the DNA changes (non-specific detection). In addition, digital solutions for traceability are to be developed as part of DARWIN.” We caught up with Mr. Wikmark to find out more about the ambitions of the project and hear of progress so far.
ENGA: The press release launching the DARWIN project states that your project will make “food systems more sustainable and transparent” – how do you propose to do that?
Odd-Gunnar Wikmark: One of the biggest obstacles for full transparency in the food and feed chain regarding the use of gene editing (NGT1s etc) is the lack of validated detection systems. Without this tool, it is very difficult to get reliably information if the food or feed has been developed with the use of gene editing.
Understanding what we eat builds consumers' trust and awareness about food choices, and we believe that this will guide consumers into choosing sustainable products, regardless of how they are developed.
How can you be so optimistic about discovering the reason for genetic modifications? The usual narrative has been that, whilst it’s possible to spot a genetic modification, it’s not possible to detect the method used - conventional breeding or a new genomic technique - for that modification.
O-GW: I am optimistic regarding our progress towards the end goal, but I don't think that we will solve all problems in detection with the DARWIN project. These are complicated scientific problems that will take some time to solve. We are a large consortium with many partners and I am confident that some progress will be made and that we will move our current understanding of what is possible to detect and not. But this is research of course, so there are uncertainties and obstacles which have not yet been discovered.
How is AI going to be used in the DARWIN project?
O-GW: In the project, we will use computer software and algorithms to help us interpret the data we generate. We will be generating quite large amount of data that AI tools, once trained well, can help us analyse.
What other innovative techniques are you using to develop reliable detection methods?
O-GW: We will combine the latest methods for DNA detection and analysis in a systematic manner to test how they perform under various scenarios and criteria.
Are you confident that the results of your project will lead to NGTs being able to be fully detected in food and feed, so that labels be added to food and European consumers and the EU food industry can have the confidence they need to know which food contains New GMOs?
O-GW: I am confident that we will make progress towards this final goal, but this is research, and we can never guarantee the outcome. Also, the gene editing techniques are developing and changing, to further complicate detection. Under the current legislation, GMOs put on the marked must be accompanied by a validated detection method. We hope to contribute significantly to these detection methods being validated for NGTs.
Have you already made some progress?
O-GW: The project has just started, so we are in the progress of developing the methodologies and testing them.