Developing efficient and non-transgenic transformation methods for sterile and/or recalcitrant crops

面对养活不断增长的人口、应对气候变化的影响以及防止新出现的病原体造成重大损失的三重挑战，基因编辑技术越来越被视为在实现未来全球粮食安全方面发挥关键作用。与转基因生物（GMO）不同，转基因生物包含的遗传变化不可能通过传统育种或自然产生，区域法规越来越允许基因编辑，英国是遗传学和基因组学研究的全球领导者，最近生效的《生物多样性公约》巩固了这一地位。世界领先的基因编辑法规通过基因技术Tropic成立于2016年，是一家领先的农业生物技术公司，致力于开发先进的植物育种和基因编辑技术，我们在诺里奇研究园创新中心的总部雇用了140多名行业领先的专业人士。我们正在内部开发热带作物的高性能商业品种（最初专注于香蕉、水稻和咖啡），并在热带作物之外，将我们专有和专利的基因编辑技术平台提供给精选的合作伙伴，包括全球领先的农业综合企业巴斯夫、Corteva Agriscience和Genus。香蕉是世界第四大作物，产量居世界第四位，在全球粮食安全和确保数百万小农生计方面发挥着至关重要的作用。我们正在开发具有宝贵特性的基因编辑香蕉，包括延长保质期和非褐变，以及对热带4号小种（TR 4）和黑香蕉病（BSD）的抗性。香蕉布朗宁是供应链中（即在到达消费者之前）超过60%的出口香蕉损失的原因。TR 4和BSD正在迅速传播威胁全球香蕉生产的真菌病原体，其中BSD已经造成全球每年香蕉产量损失11亿英镑，BSD管理占香蕉生产成本的27%，由于栽培香蕉为三倍体且不育，无法通过常规育种产生新品种。虽然基因编辑为有价值的性状开发提供了重要的前景，但香蕉的基因编辑面临着重大的实施挑战，包括低转化效率和开发非转基因转化方法的要求（因为转基因不能繁殖出来）。在英国创新基金会的资助下，我们将为不育和/或不育的作物开发有效的非转基因转化方法，最初的重点是香蕉作为一个示范作物系统。

Facing the triple challenge of feeding a growing population, dealing with the impacts of climate change, and preventing major losses to emerging pathogens, gene-editing technologies are increasingly seen as playing a key role in achieving future global food security. Unlike genetically modified organisms (GMO), which contain genetic changes that could not have occurred through traditional breeding or arisen naturally, regional regulations are increasingly permissive for gene editing, which focuses on genetic changes that could have arisen through traditional breeding methods or occurred naturally.The UK is a global leader in genetics and genomics research and this position has recently been underpinned by the entry into force of world-leading gene-editing regulations through the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023, which permits the development and marketing of gene-edited crops and livestock in England.Founded in 2016, Tropic is a pioneering agricultural-biotechnology company developing advanced plant breeding and gene editing technologies, employing over 140 industry-leading professionals at our headquarters in the Norwich Research Park Innovation Centre. We are developing high-performing commercial varieties of tropical crops in-house (focusing initially on banana, rice, and coffee) and, outside tropical crops, making our proprietary and patented gene-editing technology platform available to select partners including leading global agribusinesses BASF, Corteva Agriscience, and Genus.Banana is the world's fourth largest crop by production volume, playing a vital role in global food security and ensuring the livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers. We are developing gene-edited bananas with valuable traits including extended shelf-life and non-browning, as well as resistance to tropical race 4 (TR4) and black-sigatoka disease (BSD). Banana browning is responsible for the loss of over 60% of exported bananas in the supply chain (i.e. before reaching the consumer). TR4 and BSD are rapidly spreading fungal pathogens that threaten global banana production, with BSD already causing global annual banana production losses of £1.1 billion and BSD management accounting for 27% of banana production costs.Since cultivated bananas are triploid and sterile, new varieties cannot be produced through conventional breeding. While gene editing offers significant promise for valuable trait development, gene editing of banana faces significant implementation challenges including low transformation efficiencies and the requirement to develop non-transgenic transformation methods (since transgenes cannot be bred out).With Innovate UK funding, we will develop efficient and non-transgenic transformation methods for sterile and/or recalcitrant crops, focusing initially on banana as a model crop system.