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和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，转基因生物含有通过传统育种无法发生或自然发生的遗传变化，而区域法规对基因编辑越来越宽容，基因编辑侧重于通过传统育种方法可能发生或自然发生的遗传变化。英国在遗传学和基因组学研究方面处于全球领先地位，最近通过《2023年遗传技术（精确育种）法案》实施的世界领先的基因编辑法规巩固了这一地位，该法案允许在英国开发和销售基因编辑作物和牲畜。Tropic成立于2016年，是一家开创性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，公司总部位于诺里奇研究园区创新中心，拥有140多名行业领先的专业人员。我们正在内部开发高性能的热带作物商业品种（最初专注于香蕉，大米和咖啡），并且在热带作物之外，将我们的专有和专利基因编辑技术平台提供给精选合作伙伴，包括全球领先的农业综合企业巴斯夫，Corteva Agriscience和Genus。按产量计算，香蕉是世界第四大作物，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。我们正在开发基因编辑香蕉，其有价值的特性包括延长保质期和不褐变，以及抵抗热带4号（TR4）和黑叶斑病（BSD）。香蕉褐变是造成供应链中（即到达消费者之前）60%以上出口香蕉损失的原因。TR4和BSD是迅速传播的真菌病原体，威胁着全球香蕉生产，BSD已经造成全球每年香蕉生产损失11亿英镑，BSD管理占香蕉生产成本的27%。由于栽培的香蕉是三倍体和不育的，不能通过常规育种生产新品种。虽然基因编辑为有价值的性状开发提供了巨大的希望，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（因为转基因不能被培育出来）。在Innovate UK的资助下，我们将为不育和/或抗性作物开发有效的非转基因转化方法，最初将重点放在香蕉作为示范作物系统上。

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.