SINGAPORE - Researchers working on genetically modified organisms in Singapore now have a common set of guidelines to adhere to.

The guidelines, which meet international standards, will ensure that such experiments are properly regulated and supervised so that they will not pose a threat to public health.

Currently, the researchers have to abide by their own institutes' rules and regulations, but with the release of guidelines by the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (under the Trade and Industry Ministry), they will now have a common framework to refer to.

"We find that because of the concern of bio-safety as a whole in Singapore, scientists have asked if they were doing the right things in their institutes and if they followed all the national and international guidelines for GMOs? We thought it would be good to put everything together as a guide for researchers and to promote this culture for bio-safety," said Dr Ngiam Tong Tau, Chairman of the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee.

There are hundreds of groups in Singapore working on genetically modified organisms.

So the Committee has said that the overarching aim of the guidelines is to ensure that public safety is not compromised by the experiments.

Experiments on genetically modified organisms will be divided under 3 categories -

Those considered to pose significant risks to the public or the environment, hose dangerous to those directly involved, and those that are safe.

An independent Institute of Biosafety Committee will be set up to monitor them.

The Advisory Committee said the guidelines will strengthen Singapore's position as a biomedical hub.

"I think reputation is very important so if we have a good set of guidelines, the general public will be clear that most of the research done in Singapore is of very high standard. In fact I think the guidelines will help researchers themselves think about all the implications and will not attempt any experiments that could be highly dangerous that could cause any outbreak of diseases and stuff like that," said Assoc Prof Chan Woon Khiong, Chairman, Sub Committee Research on GMO.

And although they won't be legislated, researchers who flout the rules can be punished by current laws on bio-safety.

The guidelines were drawn up in consultation with the Health Ministry and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority.

International guidelines and standards were also taken into account.