Read through for an excerpt from our recently-published article with Forbes.
"Genome editing with CRISPR and other tools is an exciting new technology with myriad applications from human health to industrial biotechnology. Gene editing allows small but precise changes in DNA sequences to turn genes on or off or modulate their activity. It is an extremely active area for investment, particularly since the announcement of the first CRISPR-based human gene therapy approval November of 2023. Editing technology also has tremendous potential for applications in agriculture and this week there was an announcement of a new partnership between a major global agriculture company, Corteva, and a genome editing company called Pairwise. This sort of development and innovation is important because the global agricultural sector faces many challenges and opportunities including:
- Feeding a growing global population without encroaching on remaining wild lands
- Growing crops in an environment that increasingly involves more heat and water stress events driven by climate change
- Striving to reduce the carbon footprint of farming while also aiding footprint reductions for other industries such as animal production, fuels and plastics
- Playing a positive role in net global carbon sequestration
- Managing new and intensified pest challenges driven by pesticide resistance and climate shifts
- Creating crops with novel consumer-oriented characteristics to enhance food enjoyment and health"
-Steve Savage / Forbes