On June 3, 2021, botanist Simon Gilroy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison launched cotton seeds including genetically modified ones to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Gilroy and his team will study cotton seedlings grown on the ISS to better understand cotton growth. This is the …
Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have announced the positive interim Phase 2 clinical trial safety and immunogenicity data for Medicago’s plant-derived COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which was tested in combination with GSK’s pandemic adjuvant. These results are part of the ongoing Phase 2/3 study and …
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany and Southwest University in China sheds light on an unusual interdependence. They found that maize can attract special soil bacteria that, in turn, help the plants to grow better. The results could also lead to breeding new varieties …
An international research team led by Oregon State University reported that Eucalyptus, a pest-resistant evergreen valued for its hardy lumber and wellness-promoting oil, can be genetically modified not to reproduce sexually, a key step toward preventing the tree from invading native ecosystems. The team used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique to …
The first direct consumption genome-edited tomato was launched in Japan by Sanatech Seed, a start-up company from University of Tsukuba. The Japanese ministries in-charge have announced their determination that the genome-edited tomato will not be regulated as a genetically modified product. Sicilian Rouge High GABA tomato was developed using CRISPR-Cas9 …
An international team of researchers from the International Rye Genome Sequencing Group (IRGSG) and their collaborators from 14 countries led by the IPK Leibniz Institute in Germany has released the genome sequence of rye, a distinctly climate-resistant cereal plant that is of considerable importance for Germany and north-eastern Europe. Rye …
An international group of experts led by the University of Copenhagen discovered how to regulate zinc in plants. This breakthrough could help pave the way to alleviating malnutrition worldwide. Zinc is one of the essential micronutrients for plants and animals because of its vital functions in many proteins. Zinc deficiency …
An international team of scientists has successfully developed cassava with high-level resistance to cassava mosaic disease (CMD), cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), as well as higher levels of iron and zinc. This is the first time that disease resistance and multiple biofortification traits have been stacked in this manner in …
Japanese researchers from Nagoya University, in partnership with Nanjing Agricultural University, developed a method to increase simultaneously the nutrient uptake through the roots and stomatal opening of rice paddy to increase its yield with less use of fertilizer. The researchers created a new variety of field-grown rice paddy with an …
Cyanobacteria produce plastic naturally as a by-product of photosynthesis—and they do it in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Researchers at the University of Tübingen have succeeded for the first time in modifying the bacteria’s metabolism to produce this plastic in quantities to be used industrially. Around 370 million tons …
