GMAC - Genetic Modification Advisory Committee

The Genetic Modification Advisory Committee was established in Singapore in April 1999 to oversee and advise on the research and development, production, use and handling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Singapore.

The objective of this committee was to ensure public safety while allowing for the commercial use of GMOs and GMO-derived products by companies and research institutions, in compliance with international standards.

GMAC will be developing and approving biosafety guidelines regarding GMOs, as well as facilitating the harmonisation of guidelines with international authorities.

OBJECTIVES OF GUIDELINES
These guidelines are established to ensure the safe containment, handling and transport of genetically modified organisms used in research and to provide a common framework for assessment and notification of research on GMOs.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INSTITUTIONS
Any institution, company or organisation that carries out genetic manipulation, imports organisms arising from such work, produces such organisms, or plans to sell or release such organisms into the environment, should abide by all existing legislation and relevant guidelines, especially current GMAC Guidelines.

SCOPE OF GUIDELINES
The scope of the Singapore Biosafety Guidelines for Research on GMOs covers experiments that involve the construction of all biological entities (cells, organisms, prions, viroids or viruses) which have been made by genetic manipulation and are of a novel genotype and which are unlikely to occur naturally or which could cause public health or environmental hazards.

CATEGORY A – EXPERIMENTS REQUIRING IBC APPROVAL AND GMAC NOTIFICATION (REGULATED EXPERIMENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT RISKS)
This category includes experiments which may pose high risks to laboratory workers, the community or the environment. This category also includes experiments for which the type or level of hazard is unclear. The level of containment required will vary depending on the kind of experiments and their
assessed hazard.
This category of work requires IBC assessment and approval, followed by GMAC notification before work begins. Principal investigators should not commence work on proposals assessed as Category A until advised by theIBC, following IBC’s receipt of GMAC acknowledgement of notification.

CATEGORY B – EXPERIMENTS REQUIRING IBC APPROVAL
(NOTIFIABLE EXPERIMENTS WITH LOW RISKS)
This category includes experiments which may pose low-level risks tolaboratory workers, the community or the environment.
IBC assessment is required before work begins on this category of experiments.
Principal investigators should not commence work on proposalsassessed as Category B until specifically advised by the IBC.

CATEGORY C – EXPERIMENTS EXEMPT FROM THE GUIDELINES
(EXPERIMENTS WITH EXTREMELY LOW RISKS)
This category includes experiments which do not pose significant risks to laboratory workers, the community or the environment.
Principal Investigators who are unsure of the categorization of their experimentsare required to seek advice from their respective IBCs.