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Tag Archives crispr

File photo of a CFIA vehicle. (Dave Bedard photo)
Crops

Gene-edited crops clear CFIA’s regulatory bar

Agency guidance puts gene editing on level of conventional breeding

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Plants gene-edited for efficient use of water or nutrients or to better withstand pests or drought now won’t have to clear the same regulatory hurdles in Canada as any crops that are modified for herbicide tolerance or include foreign genes. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced updated guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection […] Read more
New CRISPR-Combo boosts genome editing power in plants
News

New CRISPR-Combo boosts genome editing power in plants

Science Notes: Ability to edit, change multiple genes at once explored

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CRISPR-CAS9 technology made it possible for scientists to change the genetic code of living organisms. Although revolutionary, the tool has its limitations.  Like the first cell phones that could only perform one function, the original CRISPR method can perform one function: removing or replacing genes in a genetic sequence. Later iterations of CRISPR were developed […] Read more
Health Canada will likely regulate gene-edited crops the same as conventional plant breeding, which is praised by plant breeders but opposed by some groups.
News

Federal gene editing policy expected soon

Those opposing the technology have delayed policy development

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Glacier FarmMedia – Health Canada is expected to soon publish guidance on how gene-edited crops will be regulated. It appears the department will treat gene-edited crops differently from genetically modified (transgenic) crops, which means the oversight of gene-edited crops could be closer to conventionally bred crops. Gene editing is often described as removing or altering […] Read more
“I think the opportunities are so exciting,” said Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley. “CRISPR is already being used to manipulate properties of plants that include crop yields, drought tolerance, pest tolerance, things that are going to have important implications around the world especially as we deal with the challenges of climate change.”
Crops, News

Scientist still sees CRISPR acceptance issues

Co-discoverer of gene editing says researchers have responsibility to be as transparent with the public as possible

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Glacier FarmMedia – Agriculture has a powerful set of tools in CRISPR gene-editing technology to overcome the twin challenges of preserving and increasing food production while minimizing greenhouse gases, said one of CRISPR’s discoverers. “I think the opportunities are so exciting,” said Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley. “CRISPR is […] Read more
News

New tests find more resistant bacteria

Science Notes: CRISPR technology being used to identify which bacteria are most abundant

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New research from the University of Georgia shows there may be more antimicrobial-resistant salmonella in food animals than scientists previously thought. Using technology she developed, UGA researcher Nikki Shariat and Amy Siceloff, a first-year doctoral student in UGA’s Department of Microbiology, found that traditional culturing methods used to test livestock for problematic bacteria often miss […] Read more
To develop the new guidelines, Health Canada experts reviewed the science around gene-edited crops and concluded that the technology is safe for human consumption and the environment.
News

Health Canada declares gene editing safe

The ruling is expected to give Canadian producers access to the same types of plant breeding available in other countries

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Glacier FarmMedia – Canadian farmers may soon be growing gene-edited crops. That’s because Health Canada has declared that gene-editing technology is safe. Health Canada recently proposed new rules to oversee plant breeding innovation, including gene editing. Why it matters: Canada has lagged other countries in its regulations surrounding gene editing, which could have put Canadian […] Read more
Stem cell growth, required for kernel development, is controlled in corn by a set of genes called CLEs. Using CRISPR genome editing, CSHL researchers found they could change kernel yield and ear size by fine-tuning the activity of one of the CLE genes, ZmCLE7.
News

Tweaking corn kernels with CRISPR

Science Notes: In some of the first work of its kind, researchers modified corn kernel numbers using CRISPR

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Corn has changed over thousands of years from weedy plants that make ears with less than a dozen kernels to the cobs packed with hundreds of juicy kernels that we see on farms today.  Powerful DNA-editing techniques such as CRISPR can speed up that process.  Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor David Jackson and his […] Read more
Chicks atop images from a genetic map of a chicken. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)
Livestock

Gene-edited chickens planned in bid to halt next pandemic

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London | Reuters — British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be totally resistant to flu in a new approach to trying to stop the next deadly human pandemic. The first of the transgenic chicks will be hatched later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said Wendy […] Read more
The Government of Canada believes gene edited crops can help farmers produce “safe and affordable food, feed, fibres, and energy in the 21st century.”
News

Canada joins group supporting gene editing

Twelve countries issued a joint statement in support of the plant breeding process

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The federal government has come out in favour of gene editing. Or, more accurately, the Government of Canada believes gene edited crops can help farmers produce “safe and affordable food, feed, fibres, and energy in the 21st century.” The quote comes from a statement released in early November and was delivered during a World Trade […] Read more
The grand chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union, in Luxembourg. (Curia.europa.eu)
Crops

GMO rules cover plant gene editing technique, top EU court says

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Brussels | Reuters — Crops obtained by plant breeding technique mutagenesis should fall under laws restricting the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Europe’s highest court said on Wednesday, in a victory for environmental campaigners. The biotech industry had argued that much of mutagenesis, or gene editing, is effectively little different to the mutagenesis that […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

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