Biotech Updates

The full report on the global adoption of GM crops in 2019 authored by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications is now available.

TALEN Beats CRISPR-Cas9 in Editing Tightly-packed DNA

Genome editing tool known as TALEN was found to be 5 times more efficient than CRISPR-Cas9 at locating and editing genes in the densely-packed DNA called heterochromatin. Thus, it has more potential to address genetic defects in the heterochromatin such as sickle cell anemia,beta-thalassemia, fragile X syndrome, and others.

Researchers Work on Making Wheat and Peanuts Less Allergenic

Wheat and peanuts are among the "big eight" foods listed by the United States Department of Agriculture that cause 90 percent of food allergies. Sachin Rustgi, a researcher at Clemson University and a member of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and his colleagues are using plant breeding and genetic engineering to develop less allergenic varieties of wheat and peanuts.

Gene-edited Canola Shows Resistance to White Mold

White mold, also known as sclerotinia, is a fungal pathogen that can affect 14-30% of canola fields every year and can reduce yields by up to 50%. Thus, researchers at Cibus used their Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) which involves gene editing without incorporating a foreign gene in the crop, thus retaining its non-GM status.