ASEAN GMF Testing Network Gene Editing Workshop
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July 12, 2021-July 14, 2021
8:30 am - 12:45 pm(Virtual)
Bangkok, Thailand
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute (AFSI), and the Department of Agriculture of Thailand (DoA) hosted an online workshop on the topic of gene editing in the context of plant breeding and agricultural biotechnology. This by-invitation-only event was supported by a grant from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, New Technologies and Production Methods Division and took place on July 12-14, 2021, in conjunction with the ASEAN GMF Testing Network meeting. The workshop facilitated practical exercises to help participants become familiar with scoping for risk assessment (referred to as problem formulation), in order to advance discussions related to risk assessment and regulation of gene edited plants and other organisms. The online event began with a gene editing webinar that provided informational presentations on key scientific and risk assessment topics, followed by a set of breakout group discussion exercises on the second day, with each group focusing on a different case study. The event concluded with a plenary recap and group discussion on the third day.
Agenda
Gene Editing Webinar
July 12, 2021 | 8:30 am - 12:45 pm (Bangkok - UTC+07:00)
The first day of the webinar will be held in a virtual seminar format to achieve a shared understanding of basic information that will facilitate the subsequent breakout discussions.
| Time | Presentation/Activity | |
| Welcome Session | ||
| 8:30 am | Welcome Message from the Host Country Director General, Department of Agriculture, Thailand |
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| 8:35 am | Welcome and Introduction to ASEAN GMF Testing Network Joseph Arbiol, ASEAN Secretariat |
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| 8:40 am | Welcome Message from the United States Melissa Brown, Chargé d’Affairs, U.S. Mission to ASEAN |
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| 8:50 am | Introduction to the Workshop Agenda Andrew Roberts, Agriculture and Food Systems Institute |
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| Session 1: Putting Gene Editing in Context | ||
| 9:00 am | Genetic Variability in Plants Dr. Robert Stupar, University of Minnesota |
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| 9:30 am | Introduction to Gene Editing Dr. Inez Slamet-Loedin (IRRI) |
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| 10:00 am | Question and Answer for Session 1 | |
| 10:30 am | Break | |
| Session 2: International and Regulatory Context | ||
| 10:35 am | Overview of Regulatory Approaches Dr. Peter Thygesen, OGTR Australia & Chair, OECD Working Group on Harmonization of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology |
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| 11:05 am | Economic and Trade Considerations Dr. Ray Shillito, Senior Expert, BASF |
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| 11:35 am | Question and Answer for Session 2 | |
| 12:05 pm | Break | |
| Session 3: Introduction to Case Studies and Breakout Activities | ||
| 12:10 pm | Case Studies and Breakout Activities Dr. Andrew Roberts, Agriculture and Food Systems Institute |
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| 12:30 pm | Conclusion and Final Discussion | |
| 12:45 pm | Adjourn Day 1 |
Breakout Group Discussion
July 13, 2021 | 8:30 am - 11:00 am (Bangkok - UTC+07:00)
Breakout groups will have 5-10 participants each. Each group will be assigned a different case study that will be their primary assignment, and participants will work through a set of discussion questions. If the discussion concludes early, additional case studies may be assigned.
| Time | Activity | |
| 8:30 am | Welcome and Participant Introductions | |
| 8:50 am | Review of Breakout Instructions | |
| 9:00 am | Discussion of Case Studies | |
| 10:30 am | Wrap Up and Conclusions for Presentation at the Plenary Recap | |
| 11:00 am | Adjourn Day 2 |
Concluding Webinar
July 14, 2021 | 8:30 am - 10:45 am (Bangkok - UTC+07:00)
| Time | Presentation/Activity | |
| Plenary Recap | ||
| 8:30 am | Review of the Agenda Andrew F. Roberts, Agriculture & Food Systems Institute |
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| 8:40 am | Reports from the Breakout Group Discussions Breakout Group Rapporteurs |
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| 10:00 am | Plenary Discussion of Group Work An opportunity for participants to discuss any lingering questions from the breakout groups or from the presentations on Day 1 |
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| Closing Session | ||
| 10:30 am | Closing Message from the United States Dr. Susan Karimiha, International Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture |
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| 10:35 am | Closing Message from the Host Country Director General, Department of Agriculture, Thailand |
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| 10:45 am | Adjourn Day 3 |