What Are New Genomic Techniques (NGTs)?

Full transcript

New Genomic Techniques, or NGTs, are techniques capable of altering the genetic material of an organism, and they emerged mainly after the European GMO Directive was adopted in 2001. You may also have heard the term NBT, or New Breeding Techniques — a broader historical term — but NGT is the specific terminology used in the new European Union Regulation. The new European framework focuses on two main categories of NGTs: the first is targeted mutagenesis, also known as genome editing, which enables precise changes at selected locations in the genome. One of the most famous genome editing tools is CRISPR-Cas, a technology so groundbreaking that it was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020. The second category is cisgenesis, where genetic material is introduced from the same species or a sexually compatible one — meaning the genetic material already exists within the breeders' gene pool. The framework also includes intragenesis, which is similar to cisgenesis except that the genetic sequence may be rearranged or modified before it is inserted into the target organism. Crucially, NGTs are not transgenesis — they never use genetic material from outside the breeders' gene pool, which is what sets them apart from traditional GMOs and why they have their own dedicated European regulatory framework.