GMOs and Political Stance

Dr. Nawaz’s research interests are primarily in the area of genetically modified plants with the emphasis on the environmental impacts of GM plants (food and feed). His insights on the concerns over the fate of DNA derived from GM food in the human body has also received much attention. His current research focuses on the elucidation of biomineralization pathway in vascular plants with a focus on phytoliths. The Korean Society of Crop Science and Genetics Society of Korea has bestowed him with best presenter awards. Furthermore, his research interests also lie in the field of legume (soybean) genetics and genomics to delineate genetic architecture, population structure, genetic diversity, origin, and secondary metabolite pathways. Gyuhwa Chung is a distinguished emeritus research professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea. He is a renowned ex-situ legume germplasm conservationist and holds largest wild soybean collection in the word known as “Chung’s Wild Legume Germplasm Collection”. He has authored over 60 research/review articles and book chapters. He is holder of several patents and has an extensive array of citations and reads /downloads to his papers. He has coordinated as a PI in over many scientific research and technology projects and has established worldwide collaborations. His interests in the field of biotechnology lies in genetically modified plants and the associated risks to biodiversity, environment and GM food and feed consumers. Dr. Chung is a renowned wild soybean expert and has been very active for wild soybean conservation due to disturbances in agroecological zones in South East Asia. Kirill S. Golokhvast (MD, MS, PhD, DSc, ERT) is a member of the Russian Academy of Education and Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He holds specialist status in toxicology and environmental issues and is the deputy director of N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources. Additionally he is professor at the Department of Life Safety in the Technosphere, scientific director of the Nanotechnology Research and Education Center, at Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Leading Researcher of the Laboratory of Ecology and Animal Protection in the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Senior Researcher of the Laboratory of Medical Ecology in the Research Institute of Medical Climatology and Rehabilitation. He is the associate editor of Toxicology Reports (Elsevier) and editorial board member of numerous journals. Aristidis Tsatsakis is Director of the Department of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences of the Medical School at the University of Crete and the University Hospital of Heraklion. He has more than 1000 publications, including 700 in ISI journals and is extensively cited. He was EUROTOX President (2014–16) and still an Emeritus Professor for the Federal Institute of Hygiene and Toxicology in Moscow. He is Doctor Honoris Causa of the Mendeleev Moscow University, the Far East Federal University (FEFU), Vladivostok, and the Carol Davila in Bucharest. He is a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Russia (FMRAS) and a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences (FATS, United States). He is the creator, founder, and chief scientific officer of ToxPlus SA. He developed numerous biomarkers of exposure and of effects for the pesticide and chemical toxicology field, uncovering the mechanistic understanding of the mode of actions, adverse outcome pathways, and clinical affects. He is currently the Editor of Food Chemical Toxicology, Editor-in-Chief of Toxicology Reports, Guest Editor of four special issues in Toxicology Letters, Toxicology and Food and Chemical Toxicology journals, Guest Editor of the RIFM-Food and Chemical Toxicology issue, Associate Editor, and member of the Editorial Boards in several other ISI indexed journals. He has also been recognized as Highly Cited Researcher 2020 in the field of Pharmacology–Toxicology (Publons).