Welcome to GeneWatch UK

GeneWatch UK is a not-for-profit group that monitors developments in genetic technologies from a public interest, human rights, environmental protection and animal welfare perspective. GeneWatch believes people should have a voice in whether or how these technologies are used and campaigns for safeguards for people, animals and the environment. We work on all aspects of genetic technologies - from GM crops and foods to genetic testing of humans.

Topics

  • GM Crops and Food

    MEPs have voted against compulsory labelling of meat and dairy products fed with GM animal feed. However, they supported a ban on dairy products and meat from cloned animals.

    ScienceWise - the Government's centre for public dialogue - has confirmed that the FSA's dialogue on GM does not meet its principles. The Vice Chair of the FSA's public dialogue resigned citing concerns about the impartiality of the FSA. This followed the resignation of GeneWatch's Director. Read the story in the Telegraph.The Observer has reported how the biotech industry has helped draft reports on GM crops produced by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

  • Research Agendas and Patenting

    A new GeneWatch report documents the political commitment to a new bio-economy and how it has influenced research funding decisions in the biosciences. It concludes that there are significant opportunity costs associated with pursuing ineffective biotech solutions to a wide variety of problems in health and agriculture, and that the research funding system needs significant reform.

    On 29th March a US federal judge struck down a several patents on human genes. Read the New York Times article and the US court's decision on Myriad's patents for the breast cancer predisposition genes BRCA1/2.

  • Genes and Health

    It is ten years since Bill Clinton and Tony Blair announced a completed draft of the human genome and claimed it would revolutionise medicine. Read GeneWatch's history of the claims that everyone should have their genome sequenced to allow common diseases to be predicted and prevented.

    The Sunday Times has exposed that some hospitals are storing millions of babies blood spots for 18 or more years. Originally taken to perform useful health tests at birth, the blood spots could be misused in future to sequence the genome of every baby, as was proposed by the Labour Government in 2003.

  • The UK Police National DNA Database

    If your DNA is on the database, visit the Reclaim your DNA website.

    Read the new GeneWatch UK briefing The DNA database: what next?.

  • Genes and Marketing

    The European Commission has announced a consultation on regulation of medical tests, including genetic tests.

    Widely reported claims in a recent study that genes are highly predictive of longevity were implausible because they were based on too small a sample of people and neglected the overwhelming importance of environment in lifespan. Newsweek has now reported some technical problems with the study.

    The New York Times has reported the failure of commercial gene testing companies to attract customers, despite enormous publicity for their products. An article in Newsweek explains the latest scientific papers showing that genes are poor predictors of common diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease. The US FDA has announced that it will now regulate such tests and prevent misleading claims about genetic risk of diseases being sold online or in shops and pharmacies.

  • GM Contamination Register

    An on-line database of incidents of GM contamination, illegal releases and adverse agricultural side-effects run by GeneWatch UK and Greenpeace.

  • Genetic Modification and Agrofuels

    You can read GeneWatch's report on GM agrofuels here.

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