Bayer is working on two initiatives with external partners to advance genome editing in vegetables. Bayer and South Korean biotechnology company G+FLAS have signed an agreement to collaborate on developing genome-edited tomato varieties enriched with vitamin D3. Vitamin D deficiency is a widespread problem around the world, especially in countries with limited daylight hours in winter. An estimated 1 billion people worldwide are affected and can lead to a variety of health problems, including rickets.
“Bayer is committed to achieving our goal of ‘health for all, no hunger for everyone’. As we work towards this mission, we are proud to address a wide range of nutritional issues and support healthy eating through cutting-edge technologies. This collaboration will leverage G+FLAS’ genome editing technology and Bayer’s unique tomato genetic resources,” said JD Rossouw, head of vegetable research and development at Bayer, speaking at the World Seed Congress in Rotterdam, the industry gathering from May 27-29.
The agreement also includes ambitions to use genome editing to develop seeds for a wider range of tomato products. The technique allows for more precise and faster changes to a plant’s genome that would not otherwise occur in nature or with conventional breeding. “Modern breeding techniques such as genome editing can confer health benefits and resistance to a changing climate. This is an important new technology in the breeder’s toolbox and we look forward to it becoming part of our pipeline in the future,” said JD Rossouw.
“Bayer has a deep understanding of what consumers want: food that is not only nutritious but also delicious. Our focus on delivering on these expectations is delivering significant benefits across the value chain and increasing producers’ competitiveness,” said Ruth Matheson, head of global strategic marketing for Bayer Vegetable Seeds. “We are keenly aware of the widespread issue of nutritional deficiencies in today’s diets. Working proactively to close this nutrition gap is the driving force behind our growth and innovation strategy.”
Bayer licenses genome-edited leafy vegetables from Pairwise
Bayer has acquired a license from Pairwise granting it the rights to market and commercialize the company’s genome-edited mustard greens, a colorful leafy vegetable mix that is made possible through genome editing, with a unique, fresh flavor and greater nutritional value than lettuce. These are the first gene-edited food products introduced to the North American market.
“This agreement and our focus on genome-edited produce has been a great contribution to our open innovation approach. We are pleased to partner with Pairwise on their innovative leafy greens that are nutritious, tasty and offer new salad options,” said JD Rossouw. “Our latest agreement creates value as it goes beyond just the sale of the product, but also involves future rights to use the knowledge, intellectual property and technology.” The license includes commercialization rights for varieties developed by Pairwise, as well as the right to develop new varieties.
“Great innovations require great minds and many people, which is why we are partnering with academic researchers and companies to harness the speed and precision of genome editing and new breeding techniques to develop new fruit and vegetable products with higher nutritional value, better environmental impact and increased consumer appeal,” said JD Rossouw.
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