"Advancing Gene Editing 2.0: Combining Plant Genetics with Microbial Genetics, According to InEdita Bio"
In the ever-evolving world of agriculture, a Brazilian biotechnology company named InEdita Bio is making waves with its innovative use of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. This groundbreaking tool is being harnessed to enhance crop resilience, particularly in the face of drought and pests, and to improve plant-microbe interactions.
The technology developed by InEdita Bio for Artificial Speech Recognition (ASR) has a broader application, extending to tackling diseases on various crops. However, the company's primary focus lies in the agricultural sector.
Most characteristics involved in crop yield are polygenic, but for disease resistance, a single gene can confer resistance to fungi, bacteria, and viruses. InEdita Bio is capitalising on this knowledge, working towards a pipeline where gene editing can be used to bring together important traits, such as resilience to stress and disease, in a more efficient manner.
The particle bombardment technique is used to deliver CRISPR systems into meristematic tissues of growing plants, allowing for inheritable edits. This approach, pioneered by InEdita Bio, bypasses the need for labor-intensive tissue culture.
InEdita Bio's business model is twofold. They develop the technology and license it to seed companies, as well as engage in co-development projects. The company is currently working on a project to develop soybeans resistant to Asian Soybean Rust (ASR), funded by FINEP, a Brazilian federal funding institution.
InEdita Bio's approach to tackling ASR involves silencing essential genes for the pathogen's survival. Additionally, the RNA interference (RNAi) system is used by InEdita Bio to develop resistance against diseases impacting plants by engineering the non-translated regions of plant genes.
The company is also focusing on the microbial populations that live with plants and their association with plant genetics. InEdita Bio's goal is to develop plants that better associate with nitrogen-fixing microbes, such as soybeans, which can supply all the nitrogen through biological nitrogen fixation.
The long-term potential of gene editing in plant breeding includes the development of commercial varieties with improved traits such as resistance to abiotic stress and disease. There is a potential for gene editing in plant breeding to be transformative, with the ability to correct alleles that have been mutated or lost through traditional breeding programs.
However, challenges remain. Technical hurdles in editing some crop genomes efficiently, especially when introducing multiple gene edits simultaneously, are a concern. Regulatory uncertainties and slow policy adaptation can restrict deployment and adoption. Comprehensive biosafety assessments and infrastructure for equitable global access are necessary.
Despite these challenges, CRISPR-Cas9-mediated multiple gene editing for drought and pest resilience, including enhanced plant-microbe interactions, is a rapidly advancing field with strong potential to transform agriculture toward greater resilience and sustainability. This transformation is supported by increasing research, field trials, and integration with modern breeding technologies.
Dr. Paulo Arruda, the founder of InEdita Bio, started the company due to concerns about the sustainability of current food production methods. With InEdita Bio's work, we are one step closer to a more sustainable and resilient food future.
References: 1. https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4041 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4106 3. https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4178 4. https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4214 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4302
Science and technology play pivotal roles in InEdita Bio's efforts to revolutionize agriculture. While the company is applying CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology for Artificial Speech Recognition (ASR), its primary focus remains on the agricultural sector, leveraging the technology to enhance crop resilience against drought, pests, and diseases, and to improve plant-microbe interactions. (Science, Technology)
InEdita Bio's work also involves the development of plants that associate better with nitrogen-fixing microbes, such as soybeans, aiming to make agricultural practices more sustainable by reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. (Science, Technology)
