By Pesach Benson • 4 December, 2024
Jerusalem, 4 December, 2024 (TPS-IL) — Israeli ag-biotech company PlantArcBio and South Korean gene editing company ToolGen announced on Wednesday a strategic collaboration to develop a gene-edited soybean with enhanced herbicide tolerance.
Soybean is among the most critical crops worldwide, serving as a major protein source for both human consumption and livestock feed. With the growing need to maximize productivity on existing farmland while reducing environmental impact, this collaboration offers a sustainable, non-GMO solution to improve yields and enhance food security.
This partnership will leverage ToolGen’s advanced CRISPR-Cas9 technology (foundation IP) with top-level experience in generating the edited soybean, and alongside PlantArcBio’s disruptive DIPPER™ platform, a proprietary system for discovering and optimizing genes to enhance native traits.
The developed technology will specifically confer tolerance to two different groups of herbicides. This will reduce crop competition and boost yields without expanding agricultural land.
“Collaborating with ToolGen as a long-term strategic partner enables us to deliver impactful agricultural solutions. We look forward to applying this collaboration model to additional crops and traits in the near future,” said Dror Shalitin, CEO of the Givat Hen-based PlantArcBio.
The collaboration is supported by the Korea- Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (KORIL-RDF), which fosters technological innovation between companies in Korea and Israel.
