Information and statistics on genetic engineering in Germany

The Central Commission for Biological Safety (ZKBS) is a voluntary expert commission that assesses safety-relevant issues relating to genetic engineering in accordance with legal requirements and advises the federal government and the federal states on technical issues. The ZKBS office is affiliated to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). It supports and organizes the work of the expert committee. The tasks of the ZKBS office include the preparation and publication of an annual report summarizing the activities of the ZKBS and developments in genetic engineering in Germany. The activity report describes the tasks and working methods of the ZKBS in more detail and presents the current composition of the committee. The report also contains information on the number of genetic engineering facilities in Germany. According to this report, there were 4,765 S1, 1,853 S2, 97 S3, and 5 S4 facilities throughout Germany in 2021 . In December 2021, a total of 3,185 S2, 417 S3, and 22 S4 projects relating to genetic engineering were reported, registered, or approved. An important task of the ZKBS is the preparation of risk assessments , opinions, and recommendations. According to the annual report, a total of 104 microorganisms were classified into the respective risk groups in 2021 with regard to their use as donor or recipient organisms in genetic engineering. 52 ZKBS opinions provided a safety classification for genetic engineering work and a description of the necessary safety measures. It is worth emphasizing that the opinions on work at safety level 3 last year mainly related to genetic engineering work with recombinant viruses (primarily SARS-CoV2). General opinions and reports were published by the ZKBS in 10 cases in 2021. One focus here was the review of biological safety measures required under the amendment to the Genetic Engineering Safety Ordinance (GenTSV). The complete ZKBS activity report for 2021 can be accessed here.