BEIJING —Origin Agritech Ltd. is creating nutritionally enhanced corn utilizing CRISPR know-how. The Beijing-based agricultural know-how firm is creating new corn varieties which were genetically engineered (GE) to have balanced amino-acid content material. Maize (corn) protein accommodates truthful quantities of sulphur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine, however it’s poor within the important amino acids lysine and tryptophan, in keeping with the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations.
CRISPR gene modifying doesn’t introduce overseas DNA into corn and extra intently mimics gene mutations that steadily happen in nature, in keeping with Origin Agritech. It additionally prices much less cash and takes much less time to develop GE corn utilizing CRISPR than utilizing conventional GMO know-how.
“We’re very excited to be engaged on this business main utility of CRISPR in agriculture,” mentioned Gengchen Han, PhD, chairman of Origin Agritech. “Our diet balanced corn trait wouldn’t solely considerably scale back the necessity for expensive components in animal feed, it is going to additionally pave the best way for a lot of extra purposes of CRISPR know-how.”
