ToolGen, a gene editing company, and PlantArcBio, an ag-biotech company specializing in gene discovery and biological components to enhance agricultural crop traits, have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at developing gene-edited soybeans with enhanced herbicide tolerance. This partnership combines the advanced expertise of both companies to address key agricultural challenges and target the growing global soybean seed market, which is valued at US$10 billion.
Importance of Soybeans and Growing Agricultural Demands
Soybean is one of the most important crops worldwide, providing a major source of protein for human consumption and livestock feed. As the global population continues to grow, there is increasing pressure to maximize productivity on existing farmland while reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. This collaboration between ToolGen and PlantArcBio seeks to provide a sustainable, non-GMO (genetically modified organism) solution that will help improve soybean yields and enhance food security by offering more efficient weed management options.
Combining ToolGen’s and PlantArcBio’s technologies
The collaboration will leverage ToolGen’s advanced CRISPR-Cas9 technology with top-level experience in generating the edited soybean, and alongside PlantArcBio’s disruptive DIPPER platform, a proprietary system for discovering and optimizing genes to enhance native traits.
ToolGen’s advanced CRISPR-Cas9 technology allows precise modification of specific genes. CRISPR-Cas9 utilizes RNA molecules and the Cas9 protein to manipulate genes more efficiently and accessibly than previous gene editing methods such as Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFN) and Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALEN). This technology offers significant advantages in terms of ease of use, speed and efficiency, allowing researchers to edit genes in a matter of weeks, compared to the months or years required with earlier methods.
PlantArcBio will contribute its proprietary DIPPER platform, a high-throughput discovery system that enables the identification and optimization of genes that enhance native crop traits. DIPPER serves as an important tool for optimizing gene editing by pinpointing the exact locations in a plant’s DNA where genetic modifications should occur to achieve the desired changes. This system helps address the challenge of enhancing gene expression, allowing for more efficient and targeted improvements in crop performance.
DIPPER is a disruptive platform that provides a solution for enhancing crop traits by identifying the most effective locations in the DNA for gene editing. By rapidly scanning and testing tens of thousands of potential genetic enhancements directly in plants, DIPPER allows seed companies to quickly identify the most effective genetic modifications. The platform’s high-throughput nature ensures that the best loci for gene editing are found, optimizing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of gene-editing efforts.
Targeting Herbicide Tolerance for Soybeans
The main goal of the collaboration is to develop soybeans with enhanced herbicide tolerance, which will enable farmers to more effectively manage resistant and difficult-to-control weeds. The developed soybeans will specifically confer tolerance to two different groups of herbicides, offering soybean growers greater flexibility and efficiency in their weed management practices. The combination of tolerance to both herbicide groups is expected to improve farming efficiency, reduce the need for additional chemical treatments, and contribute to more sustainable agricultural practices.
“We are delighted to collaborate with PlantArcBio, combining ToolGen’s cutting-edge gene-editing technology with PlantArcBio’s high-throughput DIPPER platform to enhance native crop traits. Our gene-edited herbicide-tolerant soybeans will offer farmers a non-GMO effective weed management solution, leading to higher productivity and enhanced food security.”
“This partnership demonstrates the disruptive potential of PlantArcBio’s DIPPER platform in optimizing gene editing processes and enhancing native traits in crops. Collaborating with ToolGen as a long-term strategic partner enables us to deliver impactful agricultural solutions. We look forward to applying this collaboration model to additional crops and traits in the near future.”
Support from KORIL-RDF
This collaboration is supported by the Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (KORIL-RDF), which fosters technological innovation between companies in Korea and Israel. The KORIL-RDF has provided project funding amounting to US$2.16 million for two years, emphasizing the global significance of the initiative and its potential to make a substantial impact on agriculture worldwide. This support is instrumental in helping both companies bring their combined expertise and technology to the agricultural market.
Also read: Beyond Food Security: Addressing Soil Degradation and Climate Change with Technology
Future Expansion of the Collaboration
Looking ahead, both companies envision expanding their partnership to explore the application of gene-editing technology to other crops and traits. The long-term goal is to further advance the development of agricultural solutions that can meet the challenges posed by a growing global population, changing environmental conditions, and the need for sustainable farming practices. This collaboration represents the first step in what both companies hope will be a broader initiative to address global agricultural needs and improve food security on a global scale.
The collaboration between ToolGen and PlantArcBio marks a strategic effort to combine advanced gene-editing technologies to improve crop performance, starting with herbicide-tolerant soybeans. With the support of KORIL-RDF, this partnership aims to make a significant impact on global agriculture by offering a non-GMO solution that addresses critical challenges in weed management. The companies’ shared vision for expanding their work to other crops and traits highlights the potential for this collaboration to drive meaningful progress in the agricultural industry.