Pairwise is agriculture's plant CRISPR powerhouse

Durham, NC and Los Baños, Philippines (November  4, 2025) – Pairwise has licensed its Fulcrum® gene editing platform to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a non-profit agricultural research organization. The agreement will enable IRRI to apply CRISPR technology to develop rice varieties with higher yields, greater climate resilience, and enhanced nutritional value, including research aimed at supporting healthier diets. These innovations will complement and strengthen IRRI's ongoing breeding programs.

"This partnership marks an exciting step for IRRI's breeding initiatives," said Dr. Inez Slamet-Loedin, Principal Scientist for Biotechnology. “It reinforces our commitment to using the latest breeding innovations to deliver results faster. By responsibly applying advanced tools, we can speed up the development of rice varieties that improve productivity, resilience, and nutrition for farmers and consumers around the world.”

"We're honored to partner with IRRI, a world-renowned leader in rice research, to bring our Fulcrum technology to one of humanity's most vital crops," said Ian Miller, COO of Pairwise. "This collaboration will accelerate rice innovation and create tangible benefits for farmers and consumers worldwide."

Under the agreement, IRRI will have nonexclusive rights to use the Fulcrum suite of CRISPR-based genome-editing technologies, including the SHARC™ enzyme system, for research, development, dissemination, and commercial applications in rice. The Fulcrum platform has already enabled innovations such as seedless and compact blackberries and global trait development in 14 row and specialty crops.

This is Pairwise's third licensing agreement with a CGIAR research center, following a 2025 agreement with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and a 2024partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). This agreement is backed by the CGIAR Gene Editing Initiative through the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the UK Government (FCDO),Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and the Gates Foundation to bring these innovations to smallholder farmers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while ensuring genome-editing technologies are used responsibly for public benefit.

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About the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

IRRI is dedicated to abolishing poverty and hunger among people and populations that depend on rice-based agri-food systems. Through its work and partnerships, IRRI aims to improve the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; promote environmental sustainability in a world challenged by climate change; and support the empowerment of women and youth in the rice industry. IRRI is a member of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural research partnership dedicated to a food-secure future. For more information, visit https://www.irri.org/.

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture’s gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by the inventors of CRISPR, our Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As trusted partners to global industry leaders and non profit institutions, we help breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.

Sun World International and Pairwise today announced the formation of a joint venture to collaborate in specialty fruit, beginning with the development of a pitless cherry.  Sun World will have exclusive commercial rights to these genetics as they seek a first-to-market position in high-quality pitless cherries. The partnership leverages Sun World’s fruit breeding and licensing expertise with Pairwise’s Fulcrum® platform. As part of the agreement, Sun World will make strategic investments to fund development.

In addition to maximizing yield and mitigating against climate change, one of Sun World’s north stars is providing a demonstrably superior consumer eating experience in every way including optimizing convenience. Sun World has a rich heritage of pioneering convenience-focused innovations, beginning with the SUPERIOR SEEDLESS® table grape in 1972, the Sun World seedless watermelon in 1988, countless contributions to their seedless table grape range over three decades, the commercialization of seedlessness in easy-peel mandarins, and the introduction of the seedless lemon.

“Our focus has long been on offering truly differentiated genetics to our growers with exceptional new traits, flavors, texture and convenience,” said Bernardo Calvo, Sun World’s CEO. “Developing a high-quality pitless cherry is a natural innovation evolution for us and in Pairwise, we’ve found an extraordinary partner already well down this quite complex path.”

Pairwise, which has developed the world's first seedless blackberry, brings an unmatched platform that accelerates the development of in-demand crop traits. Traditional breeding involves a lengthy process, but this approach creates a faster path to fruits that consumers will enjoy while providing growers with crops that offer greater sustainability, improved disease resistance, and higher yields.

"This is a segment of agriculture where there's tremendous opportunity to bring meaningful innovation," said Dr. Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise. "Sun World has built one of the most successful commercial pipelines in fruit genetics.  Combining that expertise with the precision and efficiency of Pairwise’s Fulcrum platform allows us to address unmet consumer and grower needs in a way that hasn't been possible before."

Pairwise will lead the R&D effort, while Sun World contributes its germplasm, breeding infrastructure, and commercial market access. The joint venture is already advancing development work and may explore additional strategic partnerships. In addition to its focus on consumer traits, the collaboration aligns with broader industry efforts to use advanced plant breeding to support sustainable agriculture, reduce waste, and create higher-value outcomes for both consumers and producers.

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About Sun World  

Sun World International is a global fruit variety development and licensing company, propelled by emerging technologies, and rooted since its inception in the principles of sustainability. Sun World pioneered seedless grape varietal development and formalized their fruit genetics program three decades ago. Sun World specializes in table grapes, mandarins, mangoes, stone fruit and cherries and is part of the Bridgepoint Group of private equity investors. www.sun-world.com.  

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture’s gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by the inventors of CRISPR, our Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As trusted partners to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, we help breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.

Mars, Incorporated has licensed Pairwise's Fulcrum® gene editing tools for cacao research and development. This licensing agreement grants Mars access to Pairwise's CRISPR tools, including the SHARC™ enzyme. The Pairwise Fulcrum™ platform encompasses gene editing tools, enzymes and trait libraries, enabling precise changes that unlock the plant’s inherent potential. This capability significantly accelerates the development of impactful crop traits compared to traditional breeding methods, allowing for the activation or deactivation of characteristics and fine-tuning traits, much like adjusting a dimmer switch to achieve optimal results.  

Mars aims to develop this advanced plant breeding technology to improve cacao production and effectively tackle agricultural challenges. The ultimate goal is to help address the pressures cacao faces globally from climate variability, plant diseases and environmental stresses. This strategic initiative underscores the potential of this technology to drive meaningful advancements in agriculture.  

"At Mars, we believe CRISPR has the potential to improve crops in ways that support and strengthen global supply chains," said Carl Jones, Plant Sciences Director at Mars. "Our focus is to transparently and responsibly conduct CRISPR research in plant science that helps crops better adapt to climate challenges, disease pressures and resource constraints."  

"We're pleased to provide Mars with access to our Fulcrum™ platform for their cacao research and development initiatives," said Ian Miller, Chief Operating Officer at Pairwise. "Plant breeding innovation has the potential to help address important agricultural challenges, and we look forward to supporting Mars' research goals."  

The Pairwise Fulcrum® platform includes gene editing tools, enzymes and trait libraries, enabling precise changes that unlock the plant’s inherent potential to greatly accelerate the development of impactful crop traits compared to traditional breeding methods.
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About Pairwise  

Pairwise is agriculture’s gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by the inventors of CRISPR, our Fulcrum™ Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As trusted partners to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, we help breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.