The GMAC Main Committee

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

The Committee is currently chaired by Prof Prakash Kumar from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and consists of members drawn from 13 agencies/institutions. Each member of GMAC contributes a different area of expertise to the committee, thereby enabling GMAC to make decisions based on holistic views of issues related to genetic modification.

The Terms of Reference for the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee are:

  • To advise and recommend for approval, or otherwise, the research and development, production, use and handling of Genetically Modified Organisms ("GMOs").
  • To monitor and oversee the release of GMOs into the environment.
  • To review proposals related to the release of GMOs into the environment. Where appropriate, GMAC will establish subcommittees of experts in specfic areas to conduct risk assessment.
  • To provide advice on matters relating to the release of GMOs.
  • To inform the public, where deemed necessary by the GMAC, on planned release(s) of GMOs.
  • To establish mechanisms for exchange of information with overseas agencies and to facilitate the harmonisation of guidelines with regional and international guidelines.
  • To develop and approve biosafety guidelines for the research and development, production, use and handling of GMOs.

The composition of the committee is as follows:

Name Role in GMAC Designation Organisation
Prof Prakash Kumar Chair Professor
Department of Biological Sciences		 National University of Singapore (NUS)
Dr Hong Yan Deputy Chair Senior Lecturer
School of Biological Sciences		 Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
A/Prof Peter Dröge Member Associate Professor
Division of Molecular and Cell Biology		 Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
A/Prof Raymond Lin Member Senior Consultant
Department of Laboratory Medicine		 National University Hospital (NUH)
A/Prof Joanne Chan Member Centre Director
National Centre for Food Science		 Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
Prof Paul Teng Member Managing Director National Institute of Education International (NIEI)
Dr Se Thoe Su Yun Member Deputy Director
Biosafety Branch
Public Health Group		 Ministry of Health (MOH)
Prof Uttam Surana Member Research Director
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB)		 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Dr Foo Ngee Chih Member Deputy Director
Research Integrity, Compliance and Ethics, Research Office		 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
A/Prof Jonathan Loh Member Research Director
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB)		 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Ms Wendy Yap Member Director
International Biosafety Conservation Division		 National Parks Board (NParks)
Dr Kenneth Choy Member Deputy Director
Occupational Safety & Health Division		 Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
Mr Derek Loh Member Deputy Director-General
International Affairs Division		 Attorney General's Chambers (AGC)
Prof Yu Hao Member Provost's Chair Professor and Head of Department
Department of Biological Sciences		 National University of Singapore (NUS)
Mr Malminderjit Singh Member Editor Hume
Ms Elaine Heng Member CEO (Retail Business) FairPrice Group
Dr Raffael Osen Member Group Leader of Food Process Engineering
Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI)		 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Dr Chew Wei Leong Member Senior Research Scientist & Associate Director
Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)		 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Prof John Hayball International Advisor School of Pharmacy and Medical Science University of South Australia (UniSA)