Position: Scientific Director

Phone: (+47) 77 64 43 79

Mobile: (+47)45 50 74 71

Fax:       (+47) 77 64 61 00

E-mail: terje.traavik@genok.org

CV

Professor, dr. philos. Terje Traavik is the author of more than 220 scientific articles and book chapters. He was Professor of Virology at the University of Tromsø, Norway, 1983–2003. Originally a medical and molecular virologist, Traavik later crossed into molecular and cellular cancer research. In 1992 he received the Erna and Olav Aakre Foundation Prize for Excellent Cancer Research. In the early 1990s he was the Board Chairman of the national research program Environmental Effects of Biotechnology, which was funded by the Research Council of Norway. In 1997, he was one of the founders and became the first General Manager and later on the Scientific Director of GenØk – The Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology. Since 2003 he has also been the Professor of Gene Ecology at the University of Tromsø. At the moment he is a member of the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board (2008-2012), and an advisor for the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and a number of other organizations and committees.

Publications 2003-

Bøhn T, Traavik T and Primicerio R. 2009. Demographic responses of Daphnia magna fed transgenic Bt-maize. Ecotoxicology, in press

Grønsberg IM, Nordgård L, Nielsen KM, Østerud B and Traavik T. 2009. Are human mononuclear blood cells naturally competent for uptake of foreign DNA? Submitted.

Hansen H, Okeke MI, Nilssen Ø and Traavik R. 2009. Comparison and phylogenetic analyses of orthopoxviruses isolated from cats and humans in Fennoscandia. Archives of Virology in press

Nilssen KN and Traavik T. 2009. Liv versjon 2.0. Dagbladet, September 20 (in Norwegian)

Nordgård L , Grønsberg IM, Hegge B, Fenton K, Nielsen KM, Bardocz S, Pusztai A and Traavik T. 2009. An examination of the fate of feed-derived DNA in various tissue samples of actively growing rats, pregnant rats and their foeti. Submitted

Okeke MI, Adekoya OA, Traavik T and Nilssen Ø. 2009. Comparative sequence and structure analysis of A-type inclusion body (ATI) and p4c proteins of Orthopoxviruses that produce typical and atypical ATI phenotypes. Virus Genes, in press.

Okeke MI, Nilssen Ø and Traavik T. 2009. Biological properties of recombinant viruses obtained from co-infection in vitro of Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vectored influenza vaccine and wild type cowpox virus. Virology Journal, in press.

Bøhn T, Primicerio R, Hessen DO and Traavik T. 2008. Reduced fitness of Daphnia magna fed Bt-transgenic maize. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, DOI 10.1007/s00244-008-9150-5, SpringerLink Date March 18, 2008

Traavik T. 2008. GMOs and their unmodified counterparts: substantially equivalent or different? Pp 32-34, in: Breckling B, Reuter H and Verhoeven R: Implictions of GM-Crop Cultivation at Large Spatial Scales. Theorie in der Ökologie vol. 14, Peter Lang, Frankfurt, 2008 (ISBN 978-3-631-58939-7)

Traavik T. 2008. Genmodifisering på Tellus: Men helheten greide de ikke å fange (Genetic engineering on Tellus: But they could not catch the Whole). Page 158-167 in Stein P. Aashem and Marianne Reusch (Editors): Vandrer med Verdenskart. Festskrift til Øystein Dahle 70 år. Flux Forlag, Oslo, 2008 (ISBN 978-82-92773-22-2)

Myhr, A. I. and T. Traavik (2007) Poxvirus-vectored vaccines call for application of the Precautionary principle. Journal of Risk Research, Volume 10 Issue 4, 503

Nordgård, L., Nguyen, T., Midtvedt, T., Benno, Y., Traavik, T and Nielsen, K.M. (2007) Lack of detectable DNA uptake by bacterial gut isolates grown in vitro and by Acinetobacter baylyi colonizing rodents in vivo Environ. Biosafety Res. 6:149–160

Traavik, T. and Heinemann, J. (2007) "Genetic Engineering and Omitted Health Research: Still No Answers to Ageing Questions" TWN Biosafety and Biotechnology Series 7, Third World Network, Malaysia

Bøhn T, Traavik T. 2006. Høyt spill med genmodifisering. Kronikk, Dagbladet 31.03.2006 (In Norwegian)

Myhre, MR, Fenton KA, Eggert J, Nielsen KM, Traavik T.2006. The 35 S CaMV plant virus promoter is active in human enterocyte-like cells.European Food Research and Technology 222, 185-193

Noer Lie SA, Bøhn T, Traavik T.2006. Er genetikk teknologi? Kronikk, Dagbladet, 10. juli (In Norwegian).

Okeke MI, Nilssen O, Traavik T. 2006. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara multiplies in rat IEC-6 cells and limited production of mature virions occurs in other mammalian cell lines.
Journal of General Virology 87, :21-27

Quist, D., and Traavik, T., 2006. Safety assessment of GMOs: Human risks and research needs. Proceedings of the International workshop on biosafety: Environmental Impacts and Safety Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms, Nanjing, China, China Environmental Press, p. 11-21.

Traavik T, Heinemann JA. 2005.Agro–gentechnik und unterbliebene Gesundheitsforschung. In: Grössler M and Faissner K (Eds): Gefahr Gentechnik, pp 245-253, Concord Verlag, Mariahof, Austria, 2005 (ISBN 3-9501887-1-1)

Traavik T. 2006. Genmodifisering, helse og miljø – risikospørsmål som mangler gode svar. Pp 51-64 in Hope B (Ed): Matproduksjon og Handel – Fristelse og Kunnskap. Landbruksforlaget og Kontur Tidsskrift, Oslo (ISBN 82-529-2856-0; In Norwegian)

Traavik T. 2006. Environmental Risk assessment of an Adenovirus-vectored Cancer Gene Therapy Strategy. Report to the Directorate of Nature Management, Trondheim, Norway.

Traavik T. 2006. Clinical Trial of a Genetically Modified Ad-5-Vectored HIV-1 Vaccine. Report to African Centre of Biosafety, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Traavik T and Bøhn T. 2006. Tårnfallene 11.2.2001: Ouverturen til noe nytt? Libra 34, 1, 10-17 (In Norwegian)

Traavik T. 2006. Risk Evaluation of an Ad-5 vectored HIV Vaccine. Report to NISIR (National Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), Lusaka, Zambia.

Myhre, M.R., Fenton, K.A., Eggert, J., Nielsen, K.M. and Traavik, T. The 35S CaMV plant virus promoter is active in human enterocyte-like cells.European Food Research and Technology, Publisher:Springer-Verlag GmbH, ISSN: 1438-2377 (Paper) 1438-2385 (Online)

Nordgaard, L., Traavik, T., Nielsen, K. M. 2005. Nucleic acid isolation from ecological samples - vertebrate gut flora. Book chapter in: Methods in molecular evolution: producing the biochemical data. Methods in Enzymology, Vol. 224, Elsevier / Academic Press. pp. 38-48 .

Rinaldo, C.H., Hansen H. , and Traavik,T. Human endothelial cells allow passage of an archetypal BK virus (BKV) strain – a tool for cultivation and functional studies of natural BKV strains. Arch Virol (2005) 150: 1449–1458.

Weli, S.C., Nilssen, Ø and Traavik, T. Avipoxvirus multiplication in a mammalian cell line. Virus Research 109 (2005) 39–49.

Hansen, H., Okeke, M.I., Nilssen, Ø., Traavik, T. 2004. Recombinant viruses obtained from co-infection in vitro with a live vaccinia-vectored influenza vaccine and a naturally occurring cowpox virus display different plaque phenotypes and loss of the transgene. Vaccine 23:499-506

Heinemann, J.A., Sparrow A.D., Traavik, T. 2004. Is confidence in the monitoring of GE foods justified? Trends in biotechnology 22(7), 331-336

Heinemann, J. A., Traavik T. 2004. Problems in monitoring horizontal gene transfer in field trials of transgenic plants. Nature Biotechnology 22(9), pp. 1105-1109

Heinemann, J. A., Traavik T. 2004. Reply to 'Monitoring horizontal gene transfer'. Nature Biotechnology 22, 1349 - 1350

Weli SC, Traavik T, Tryland M, Coucheron DH, Nilssen O. 2004. Analysis and comparison of the 4b core protein gene of avipoxviruses from wild birds: Evidence for interspecies spatial phylogenetic variation. Arch Virol. 149: 2035-2046

Weli SC, Okeke MI, Tryland M, Nilssen O, Traavik T. 2004. Characterization of avipoxviruses from wild birds in Norway. Can J Vet Res . 68: 140-145

Weli SC, Nilssen O, Traavik T. 2004. Avipoxviruses multiplication in a mammalian cell line. Virus Research

Weli SC, Nilssen Ø, Traavik T. 2004. Morphogenesis of fowlpox virus in a baby hamster kidney cell line. Med electron Microsc 37:225-235

Myhr, A.I. and Traavik, T (2003) Genetically modified crops: Precautionary science and conflicts of interests. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 16:227-247

Myhr , A.I. and Traavik, T. (2003) Sustainable development and Norwegian Genetic Engineering regulations: Applications, impacts and challenges. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 16:317-335.

Myhr AI and Traavik T. Genetically modified (GM) crops: precautionary science and conflicts of interests. JAGE (Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics) 16: 227-247, 2003

Myhr AI and Traavik T. Sustainable development and Norwegian gene technology regulation: applications, impacts and challenges. JAGE (Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics) 16: 317-335, 2003

Rinaldo CH, Myhre MR, Alstad H, Nilsen Ø and Traavik T. BK virus transiently transforms and persistenly infects cultured human osteosarcoma cells. Virus Research 93: 181-187, 2003. 

Traavik, T. For tidlig kan være for sent. Genteknologiens pris?. P2-Akademiet XXIX (book series), Norsk Rikskringkasting (Norwegian Broadcating Cooperation), Oslo, 2003.