Pioneering agricultural innovation companies Syngenta Vegetable Seeds and Tropic have signed a collaboration to deploy Tropic’s ground-breaking Gene Editing induced Gene Silencing (GEiGS®) technology platform. The partnership will explore opportunities to leverage this innovative technology to further strengthen Syngenta’s diverse vegetable portfolio offering for growers around the world.
“As a world leader in vegetable seed innovation, we’re always evaluating the latest technologies and tools inside and outside Syngenta that can help us deliver better products to growers,” said Uri Krieger, Global Head of R&D for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds & Flowers. “We’re excited to partner with pioneering industry players like Tropic on a venture that aims at developing sustainable crop products to tackle current and future threats that farmers face in the field or greenhouse.”
This alliance will build on Syngenta’s toolbox of new breeding technologies and Tropic’s game-changing GEiGS® platform to provide a rapid response tool against newly emerging disease threats which are becoming more prevalent with climate change.
“Tropic’s GEiGS® technology, which combines elements of precision gene editing and gene silencing or RNAi, is a hugely valuable platform that allows us and other seed companies to develop more resilient, disease-resistant crop varieties that are easier to cultivate, more profitable for farmers and healthier for consumers – thereby benefitting the global food supply chain”, says Jack Peart, Chief Development Officer at Tropic.
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About Syngenta
Syngenta is a global leader in agricultural innovation with a presence in more than 90 countries. Syngenta is focused on developing technologies and farming practices that empower farmers, so they can make the transformation required to feed the world’s population while preserving our planet. Its bold scientific discoveries deliver better benefits for farmers and society on a bigger scale than ever before. Guided by its Sustainability Priorities, Syngenta is developing new technologies and solutions that support farmers to grow healthier plants in healthier soil with a higher yield. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland; Syngenta Seeds is headquartered in the United States. Read our stories and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram & X.
About Tropic
Tropic is a pioneering tropical seeds company dedicated to the development of healthier, more robust, high-performing varieties of staple crops. The company’s core crop portfolio focusses on banana, coffee and rice, which together provide a source of livelihood to billions of people worldwide. Tropic utilises its proprietary GEiGS® platform and other cutting-edge gene editing technologies to develop improved crops with increased disease resistance, higher yields, and environmentally sustainable traits. By harnessing the power of advanced genetic engineering, Tropic is committed to addressing global agricultural challenges and providing innovative solutions that benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment. For more information, visit www.tropic.bio
About the GEiGS® Platform
GEiGS® (Gene Editing induced Gene Silencing) is Tropic’s proprietary technology platform that utilises established genome editing tools to make precise changes within non-coding genes that redirect their activity towards a desired target. Targets can include fine-tuning expression of the host’s own genes to develop new quality, composition or plant architectural traits. GEiGS® can be also used to activate defense against pathogens and pests like viruses, fungi and insects to address a wide variety of crop protection applications. GEiGS®-mediated traits are heritable and dominant and do not rely on introduction of foreign genes into the host genome, thereby rendering this approach to be considered non-GMO in several key global geographies.
