Biotech Updates

The newly-expressed proteins in Golden Rice are not similar with allergens or toxins, indicating its safety as food. This is according to the study published in Nature Scientific Reports. This also follows the findings of the US Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, Food Standard Australia and New Zealand, and the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry.

Scientists Discover Gene that Improves Yield and Fertilizer Use Efficiency of Rice

Researchers from Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered a new gene that improves the yield and fertilizer use efficiency of rice. During the Green Revolution, high-yielding dwarfed Green Revolution Varieties (GRVs) were developed. These varieties are still widespread today and have increased fertilizer use.

Colombia Benefits Economically and Environmentally from 15 Years of Planting GM Crops

A study conducted by Graham Brookes of PG Economics Ltd. published in the journal GM Crops and Food finds that since 2003, crop biotechnology has helped Colombian farmers grow more food, feed, and fiber, using fewer resources and farm incomes increased by a total of over US$300 million. Crop biotechnology has enabled Colombian farmers to obtain higher yields from better pest and weed control, reducing the environmental footprint associated with the production of cotton and maize.

Enzyme Engineering Boosts Super-precise CRISPR Tool

Experts from Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and partners continue to improve gene editing. With a new super-precise version of CRISPR, the researchers have boosted its accuracy by engineering enzymes that can accurately target DNA without introducing as many unwanted mutations. Their findings are reported in Nature Biotechnology.