Why GMOScience?

Throughout 2014, our founding team worked to understand and integrate the growing volume of new science published on agricultural applications of genetically engineered (GE) technology. We explored lingering questions surrounding GE crops and foods. We became aware of discrepancies between the results of scientific studies we found in the Library of Congress database (PubMed) and the various interpretations of this information that can be found online. These inconsistencies motivated us to dig deeper into the assertions that foods made from GE crops are entirely safe.

We also considered whether the current federal regulatory process (Read more) and the scope and rigor of human health risk assessments are adequate. We found that in many cases, state-of-the-art methods and powerful research design were not utilized to assess the human health impacts of either the GE technology itself, or the pesticides that are used more heavily on today’s widely planted GE crops.

We created GMOScience.org in order to work toward answers to these and other related questions by reviewing the state of science-based knowledge regarding the impacts, safety, and societal benefits of GE crops and food. We wanted to provide an easily accessible resource with balanced information for health professionals, policy makers, consumers, and families who are seeking to understand the often-conflicting claims about food and the agricultural applications of GE technology.

To ensure the scientific excellence of the process and to fully address the complexities of the questions we examine, we are in the process of assembling an interdisciplinary volunteer Expert Advisory Board composed of specialists in genetics, plant biology, microbiology, soil science, agronomy, and medicine.

GMOScience.org is a voice for independent science that supports, curates, interprets, and augments research findings published in the public sphere. We hope this project will inspire additional discussion, thought, and research on important issues related to our food supply and public health, especially as it concerns our children and other vulnerable populations.

Our Founding Team – Our Story

The founding team consists of a former attorney (Debbie Friedman, Esq.) and two physicians (Myrto Ashe, MD, MPH, and Michelle Perro, MD). We met while doing volunteer work to create healthy communities for children by reducing their exposure to household and environmental toxins.

We support the belief that all foods impact health. Extensive science and experience shows that a varied diet composed of nutritious food, coupled with a sharp reduction in environmental toxins, will most reliably sustain human health. We are deeply interested in the effects of diet on medical illness: we want to understand the impacts – both positive and negative – of GE foods and we want to know whether a recommendation for or against these foods can be justified.

No full-time employees of any industry are involved in the creation or ongoing operations of GMOScience.org. The scientists on the Expert Advisory Board have refused compensation in order to avoid a conflict of interest. The bulk of the time spent developing the website has been on a volunteer basis.