Molecular Biology
Professor University of Caen
Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
I.B.F.A.
Esplanade de la Paix
14032 Caen Cedex
France
Gilles-Eric Séralini is :
- A Molecular Biology Professor at Caen University,
since 1991, France
- Researcher and teacher in charge of a team and author,
- One of the very first to demand a European commercial
moratorium on agricultural GMOs for further research,
- Appointed member of two governmental commissions on
GMOs (the Biomolecular Engineering Commission (CGB) in charge of risk
assessment, and the Biovigilance Committee assessing GMOs after they
have been commercialized) in 1998,
- President of the CRII-GEN Scientific Board (Committee
of Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering) since
1999,
Was appointed in 2003 as an expert for the European
Commission to prepare the defense case in the dispute between the
United-States/Argentina/Canada (who produce 95% of the GMO’s)
and the European Union about the moratorium on commercial GMO. He
published in November 2003 "Génétiquement
incorrect" Flammarion and in 2004 "Ces OGM qui changent le monde",
(Collection Champs, Flammarion) and recentily "Après-nous le
déluge ?" (Flammarion/Fayard).
Gilles-Eric Séralini is French and studied in
Nice.He became
a Doctor in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of
Montpellier 2 in 1987. He left then for North America to carry out
fundamental research for four years, in Ontario and then in Quebec in
two different internationally renowned laboratories. Qualified to
supervise research, he passed, at the age of 30, the French national
competitive exam for University Professors.
Gilles-Eric Séralini chose the town of Caen (Normandy) where
he is a teacher-researcher since October 1991, in molecular biology, at
the interface of cancer research and endocrinology.
He wrote about 100 scientific articles and conference papers for
international specialist symposiums, and a number of lectures with a
nation-wide impact, he assumes several roles in the Commissions of the
University of Caen, where he is leading a research team associated to
CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and INRA.
He worked on new molecules for the prevention and for treating breast
cancer, he is studying the effects of endocrine disruptors, as well as
pesticides associated to aux OGM.
In 1994, he published a scientific paper back for the public at large,
(Pocket, Explora collection, 91 colour photos and illustrations)
entitled: "L'évolution de la matière, de la
naissance de l'univers à l'ADN", which is translated into
Spanish. Thanks to his work at the interface of cancer and hormones, he
became interested in the causes of cancer and the disruptors of
reproduction, that is pollutions related to air, water and food, as
well as the genetic risks and the effects upon health of such
pollutions of various origins. In 1997 he wrote "Le sursis de
l'espèce humaine", (out of print) which was published by
Belfond and received the Philips Award for Scientific Popularization in
1998, handed by Science Frontières. Following this book, he
became an expert for the European Community on environmental ethics
(July 1997) as well as for other organizations.
He has been giving a number of public lectures in relation to food
safety. He was one the writers of the moratorium issued by scientists
demanding more research before Genetically Modified Organisms can be
commercialized, both for agriculture and food. He became involved in
the debate by publishing his arguments in two collective papers
"Génie Génétique" (Published by Sang
de la Terre, 1997) and in a report on a symposium at the European
Parliament entitled "Transgénique : le temps des
manipulations ", published by Frison-Roche, December 1998). After the
hearing of the Citizens’ Conference on GMOs at the French
National Assembly, he was appointed member of the Commission on
Biomolecular Engineering in July 1998, and has been a member of the
Provisional Biovigilance Committee on transgenic maize, for ten years,
from Spring 1998.
Judging that the studies on the harmlessness of GMOs are inadequate,
and questioning their scientific evaluation, he founded CRII-GEN, along
with Corinne Lepage, a former Ecology Minister, and Jean-Marie Pelt,
that is the Committee of Independent Research and Information on
Genetic Engineering, of which he is President of the Scientific Board.
In October 2000 he published: “OGM, le vrai
débat” (Flammarion, Dominos). He received, for his
activities as a whole, the Order of the Star of Europe, de l'Etoile de
l'Europe, rank of Commander, from the European Foundation, Commission
of the Arts, Sciences and Humanities (Huy, Belgium, Summer 1999). He
was awarded the Denis Guichard Prize under the aegis of Fondation de
France in 2001, for his research as a whole, his expertise on GMO and
his activities in favour of an independent and ethical scientific
evaluation (Paris, January 9th 2002). He contributed to a large number
of collective books including “La foi en la paix et l'avenir
de l'homme”, published by Aubin in 2003.