Genus plc announces strategic GEiGS® collaboration

JOINT PRESS RELEASE:

Genus Plc and Tropic Biosciences announce strategic collaboration

Genus Plc (“Genus”), a world leader in animal genetic improvement, and Tropic Biosciences (“Tropic”), the pioneering agricultural-biotechnology company, today announce a collaboration to explore the application of Tropic’s Gene Editing induced Gene Silencing (GEiGS®) technology in porcine and bovine genetics. The collaboration with Tropic is a welcome addition to Genus’s internal discovery initiatives and strategic collaborations.

This new collaboration will enable Genus and Tropic to employ the GEiGS® platform in Genus’s investigational research programmes, ultimately aimed at accelerating genetic improvement for farmers and tackling animal disease and suffering.

The collaboration will see Genus and Tropic working together to design, investigate and develop new products for a number of applications over the coming years. Tropic’s research team will continue to provide support and regular input in a collaborative effort that highlights the strengths and values of both companies.

Elena Rice, Chief Scientific Officer at Genus stated: “We are excited to work with Tropic Biosciences and explore the application of new technologies to improve the sustainability of protein production.”

Jack Peart, Chief Commercial Officer at Tropic Biosciences commented: “Our collaboration with Genus represents an exciting new partnership with a world leader in animal genetic improvement. We look forward to working with the Genus team to explore the potential of GEiGS® in addressing critical disease challenges in the livestock space.”

For further information, please contact:

Genus plc

Dr. Elena Rice
Chief Scientific Officer
Tel: +1 608 846 3721
E-mail: elena.rice@genusplc.com

Mark Birri
Strategy & Business Development Director
Tel: +44 (0)7469 075 984
E-mail: mark.birri@genusplc.com

Tropic Biosciences

Dr. Jack Peart
Chief Commercial Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 7561 438962
E-mail: jack@tropicbioscience.com

 

About Genus Plc

Genus is a world-leading animal genetics company. Genus creates advances to animal breeding and genetic improvement by applying biotechnology and sells added value products for livestock farming and food producers. Its technology is applicable across livestock species and is currently commercialized by Genus in the dairy, beef and pork food production sectors.

Genus’s worldwide sales are made in over seventy-five countries under the trademarks ‘ABS’ (dairy and beef cattle) and ‘PIC’ (pigs) and comprise semen, embryos and breeding animals with superior genetics. Genus’s customers’ animals produce offspring with greater production efficiency, and quality, and use these to supply the global dairy and meat supply chains.

The Group’s competitive edge has been created from the ownership and control of proprietary lines of breeding animals, the biotechnology used to improve them and its global supply chain, technical service and sales and distribution network.

With headquarters in Basingstoke, United Kingdom, Genus companies operate in over
twenty-five countries on six continents, with research laboratories located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

This announcement is available on the Genus website www.genusplc.com

 

About Tropic Biosciences

Tropic Biosciences is a UK-based biotechnology company focused on utilizing advanced plant breeding and gene editing technologies to develop high-performing commercial tropical crops, namely coffee and bananas. It employs over 75 industry-leading professionals and is headquartered at the renowned Norwich Research Park, where it has access to excellent facilities and a highly qualified workforce.

For more information please visit www.tropicbioscience.com

 

About GEiGS®

GEiGS® technology utilizes established genome editing tools to make precise and specific changes to only a few nucleotides within non-coding endogenous genomic locations of a host organism. These changes redirect RNA interference (RNAi, also Gene Silencing) activity of non-coding genes towards target genes, including those belonging to pathogens and pests. The approach does not depend on the introduction of foreign genes into the host genome.

Tropic Biosciences developed GEiGS® to support its own product development, for example to produce lines of banana that are resistant to Panama disease, a devastating fungal disease that is threatening production globally. Recognising GEiGS® wider potential beyond tropical crops, Tropic has been working towards making their proprietary technology commercially available to other innovative companies.

Key benefits of GEiGS®

  • Key Benefits Icon
    Precise, predictable, and stable tuning of target gene expression

    By redirecting the silencing activity of the host’s own non-coding genes, GEiGS® introduces novel RNAi activity with highly programmable potency and tissue specificity. This elegant approach requires only minimal changes to the host’s genome (less than 20 nucleotides), thus avoiding transcriptional gene silencing and allowing for highly stable RNAi activity over time and across generations.

  • Key Benefits Icon
    Accelerated development of critical disease and pest resistance traits

    GEiGS® can be used to redirect the silencing activity of the host’s native non-coding genes towards well characterized and highly conserved viral, fungal or pest genes. This distinctly direct approach significantly accelerates product development time while minimizing pleiotropic effects associated with editing the host’s coding genes.

  • Key Benefits Icon
    Favourable regulatory classification in multiple markets

    GEiGS® technology does not involve the insertion of DNA sequences from other organisms (‘Foreign DNA’) into the host genome and does not impact the sequence of proteins. These factors allow for a non-GM classification in multiple major markets and a more streamlined regulatory approval process.

  • Key Benefits Icon
    Universal platform that works with existing gene editing tools

    GEiGS® is not dependent on any one specific gene editing tool, but instead can be deployed by using a broad range of different nucleases. This provides the user with freedom to choose which gene editing tools they use to implement GEiGS® edits – tools that may already be applied in their existing pipelines.

Find out how GEiGS® technology can benefit you

How our users benefit from using the GEiGS® platform

Our global collaborators include

Interested in partnering with us?

Access the GEiGS® platform

We collaborate with world-leading companies and academic institutions, enabling them to access our pioneering GEiGS® technology to address some of the most pressing agricultural production challenges.

Contact us today to discuss GEiGS® licensing and service options and join us in driving innovation forward.

geigs@tropic.bio +44 (0)1603 274441