Transgenic plant containment

The new technology using plant genetics to produce chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and therapeutics in a wide array of new plant forms requires sufficient testing to ensure that these new plant introductions are benign in the environment. A recent effort to provide necessary guidance to aid the selection of confinement conditions can be found on the internet as an Adobe pdf file or a print copy of the document can be requested. Details describing the handling of transgenic plants in greenhouses are relatively sparse. Existing NIH Guidelines specify facilities and practices for meeting containment standards appropriate for each of four biosafety levels; however, there is no single source of practical guidance on managing the containment of plant GMOs. A 60-page document offers simple and convenient guidance for selection of appropriate biosafety and containment levels for GMO research conducted in greenhouses. Clarification of containment level needs and the measures required to achieve the various biosafety levels should be helpful to researchers developing aspects of plant biotechnology. The public can learn of the measures undertaken to ensure the proper introduction of selected examples of this technology. (http://www.isb.vt.edu)