Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26322307›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology2015

Can Systematic Reviews Inform GMO Risk Assessment and Risk Management?

Christian Kohl, Geoff Frampton, Jeremy Sweet, Armin Spök, Neal Robert Haddaway, Ralf Wilhelm, Stefan Unger, Joachim Schiemann

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Christian KohlInstitute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology, Julius Kühn-Institut , Quedlinburg , Germany.
Geoff FramptonSouthampton Health Technology Assessments Centre (SHTAC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton , Southampton , UK.
Jeremy SweetSweet Environmental Consultants , Cambridge , UK.
Armin SpökAlpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt-Wien Graz and IFZ-Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture , Graz , Austria.
Neal Robert HaddawayMistra Council for Evidence-Based Environmental Management (EviEM), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences , Stockholm , Sweden.
Ralf WilhelmInstitute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology, Julius Kühn-Institut , Quedlinburg , Germany.
Stefan UngerData Processing Group, Julius Kühn-Institut , Quedlinburg , Germany.
Joachim SchiemannInstitute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology, Julius Kühn-Institut , Quedlinburg , Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Systematic reviews represent powerful tools to identify, collect, synthesize, and evaluate primary research data on specific research questions in a highly standardized and reproducible manner. They enable the defensible synthesis of outcomes by increasing precision and minimizing bias whilst ensuring transparency of the methods used. This makes them especially valuable to inform evidence-based risk analysis and decision making in various topics and research disciplines. Although seen as a "gold standard" for synthesizing primary research data, systematic reviews are not without limitations as they are often cost, labor and time intensive and the utility of synthesis outcomes depends upon the availability of sufficient and robust primary research data. In this paper, we (1) consider the added value systematic reviews could provide when synthesizing primary research data on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and (2) critically assess the adequacy and feasibility of systematic review for collating and analyzing data on potential impacts of GMOs in order to better inform specific steps within GMO risk assessment and risk management. The regulatory framework of the EU is used as an example, although the issues we discuss are likely to be more widely applicable.

Indexed as

biasevidence synthesisGMOrisk assessmentrisk managementsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID26322307
PMCPMC4533014

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.