<divclass="h1"><em>B. bigelowii</em> on list A1</div>
<p><em>B. bigelowii</em> is an organism of great interest thanks to UCYN-A. This is because the nitroplast is something like an “evolutionary snapshot” of organellogenesis, and its capability to fix nitrogen makes <em>B. bigelowii</em> the only known nitrogen-fixing eukaryote. However, <em>B. bigelowii</em> is not a model organism, and as a coccolithophore with no biosafety class assigned by any institution, it can prove complicated to gain authorization to work with it. Meanwhile, many experiments on our roadmap for the future of nitroplast transplantation involve modifying <em>B. bigelowii</em>, so this presented a problem.
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<p>We have worked together with our department's biosafety officer to submit a formal request to the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) for<em>B. bigelowii</em> to be approved into list A1. Organisms in this list are considered equal to common model organisms like <em>E. coli</em> in terms of biosafety and so they can be genetically modified in BSL-1 labs, insofar as no hazardous sequences are involved. We believe this classification will facilitate future research on <em>B. bigelowii</em> by Dutch teams immensely and should make it easier for teams from other countries to get clearance on experiments as well.</p>
<p>We have worked together with our department's biosafety officer to submit a formal request to the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) for<em>B. bigelowii</em> to be approved into list A1. Organisms in this list are considered equal to common model organisms like <em>E. coli</em> in terms of biosafety and so they can be genetically modified in BSL-1 labs, insofar as no hazardous sequences are involved. We believe this classification will facilitate future research on <em>B. bigelowii</em> by Dutch teams immensely and should make it easier for teams from other countries to get clearance on experiments as well.</p>
