Simplot Gets Gene Editing Licensing Rights

Simplot has acquired gene editing licensing rights that could one day be used to help farmers produce more crops and make grocery store offerings such as strawberries, potatoes and avocados stay fresher longer.  Boise-based Simplot announced Monday an agreement with DowDuPont Inc. and with MIT and Harvard University, developers of the nascent gene editing technology.  Simplot is the first agricultural company to receive such a license; company officials declined to say how much they paid for the rights.

There is no evidence that genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are unsafe to eat, but changing the genetic code of foods presents an ethical issue for some.  For example McDonald’s had declined to use Simplot’s genetically engineered potatoes for its French fries.  The food industry has also faced pressure from retailers as consumer awareness of genetically modified foods has increased.

Simplot officials say the  technology allows scientists to make precise changes to the genome of living organisms and has wide-ranging applications for improving plant food production and quality.  The gene editing technology is called CRISPR-Cas9, the first part an acronym for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.” The technology speeds up the traditional process of breeding generation after generation of plants to get a certain desirable trait, saving years in developing new varieties that are as safe as traditionally developed varieties, scientists say.

“We think this is a transformative technology — it’s very powerful,” said Issi Rozen, chief business officer of the MIT Broad Institute. “We’re delighted that Simplot is the first one to take advantage of the licensing.”

“The issues are about getting the right kind of food produced in the right kind of way,” said Neal Gutterson, chief technology officer at Corteva Agriscience, DowDuPont’s agriculture division. “It’s important to be able to produce enough food for the nine to 10 billion people who will be on the planet in 30 years.”

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