Israeli and Chinese scientists have teamed up to develop a groundbreaking gene-editing technology that could transform the way we modify plants. The new approach enhances the scale and efficiency of the current CRISPR method, allowing scientists to edit large families of genes in plants.
Traditionally, CRISPR methods were limited in the number of genes they could edit and faced challenges with “genetic redundancy,” where similar genes compensate for one another, making it difficult to see the desired changes.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU), the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Israeli agri-tech company NetaGenomiX designed an innovative algorithm that builds CRISPR “libraries.” These libraries can target thousands of related genes simultaneously.
Using this new technology, the team created 15,000 unique CRISPR units and applied them to over 1,300 tomato plants. They tracked how the genetic edits affected traits like sweetness, shape, and disease resistance. The results, published in the journal Nature Communications, were impressive. Some edited plants produced fruits with higher or lower sugar levels than normal, and others showed changes in taste, shape, size, and resistance to diseases.
“We’re excited about the potential of this technology,” said one of the lead researchers. “It could help us develop better and more resilient crops to meet the challenges of climate change and the growing global food demand.”
The team is now working to apply their method to other important crops, including rice. This breakthrough could be a significant step towards sustainable agriculture and food security worldwide.
