CAS Institute of Hydrobiology: transgenic carps are safe, but not yet cleared for human consumption

The team of ZHU Zuyan has combined the actin gene promoter of the carp with the carp actin gene and the grass carp growth hormone gene coding region to form a whole fish” recombinant gene construct. Microinjection of this gene construct into fertilized carp eggs led to carps which grow 40 % faster than controls and achieve 2fold adult weight. Feed conversion rate was increased by about 20%. Safety testing at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety did not reveal any problems, but public concerns about ecology have prevented marketing so far. Tests in a 6,7 ha artificial lake and simulated ecological environments of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River suggest that transgenic carps in a natural environment have very poor viability. However, so far transgenic carps have not been cleared for human consumption.”

China Bio news release, July 27, 2017

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