Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 13 Cibus has developed an advanced non-transgenic breeding system called the Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS™). This system combines enhanced cell biology, precision gene editing and innovative molecular screen- ing to deliver new crop characteristics faster and more efficiently than was pre- viously possible.   ES: How do you know which changes in the DNA code will lead to improved crop characteristics? GG: The short answer is that more often than not, our inspiration comes from nature. Even within the same species we can see a remarkable diversity of character- istics, and thanks to genomic sequencing we have an insight into the associated genetic diversity that drives this. Intriguingly, genomics is also helping us to see how the same gene has changed as closely related species evolve independently. Increasingly powerful bioinformatics is helping us link phenotype and genotype and identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and combinations of SNPs that enhance or add plant characteristics that would benefit crop plants. ES: This is a very active area of sci- ence. How do you see developments in the crop sector? GG: The huge potential for human health benefits of genomics and gene editing are in the news almost every day, but these developments have made it an incredi- bly exciting time to be a plant biologist, too. More than 100 plant genomes have now been sequenced, there are reference genomes available for most major crops, and several crops have sequence data for hundreds and sometimes thousands of different lines. As a result of all this work, massive amounts of genomics data are now available to feed into ever-more powerful bioinformatics tools. At the same time, we’re experiencing amazing developments in gene-editing technologies whereby gene function can be investigated more readily than ever before. The knowledge base in this area has expanded at a rate that was just a dream a few years ago. The sheer volume and qual- ity of genomics data is unprecedented and the accessibility of gene-editing tools is inspiring a new wave of research by scien- tists in small and mid-sized companies and in academic laboratories around the world. As a result, there has been an explosion in the volume of research and the number of publications connecting gene sequence and function to phenotypic character- istics. Out of this work we are seeing an increasing number of characteristics that could have significant benefits for crop production. New breeding methods like ODM have the potential to enable this incredi- ble research to become a practical reality by delivering new crop characteristics that can make a difference, and that’s a huge motivation for companies like Cibus. ES: What kind of beneficial character- istics are being identified in this way and how confident are you that the research will translate into real bene- fits in crops? GG: The range of characteristics iden- tified is already huge and covers almost every aspect of crop production from yield and quality characteristics through to the ability of plants to tolerate pests, diseases, herbicides and a wide range of environmen- tal stresses. The first products of new breed- ing methods (improved crop quality and improved tolerance to herbicides) are already available, but these represent only a small proportion of the total potential. For an alternative perspective we can look back at the achievements of older forms of mutagenesis. Long before gene sequencing, plant breeders used chemical or irradiation mutagenesis techniques to introduce diver- sity into breeding programs. The technique introduced multiple random mutations into the genome of a selected variety and the task of identifying the beneficial character- istics was extremely laborious. It is a testimony to the skill and hard work of the breeders that so many remark- able new characteristics were identified. Their diligence led to consumer favourites like seedless citrus and ruby red grapefruit, coloured peppers and major advances in quality characteristics in crops like malting barley and durum wheat. Less familiar for consumers but equally encouraging are the varieties with improved tolerance to a wide range of pests and diseases, earlier matu- rity, resistance to lodging and improved tolerance to environmental stresses like to drought, heat and salinity. With the older forms of mutagenesis, the improved crop characteristics were achieved by chance, they came with mul- tiple unwanted mutations and they were almost impossible to replicate in another variety or another crop. In fact, some bene- ficial mutations only occurred once in more than 100 years. Once the target mutations are identified, new breeding methods like ODM can introduce the same characteris- tics, without chance, into multiple crops or varieties and with no unwanted mutations. ES: What can the industry do to real- ise the potential of these technological advances? GG: The success of new breeding methods depends not only on the breeding methods themselves, but also on the associated technologies of genomics and bioinfor- matics and the research efforts that link all of this together. At present, scientists in academic and commercial laboratories worldwide are making incredible progress in all areas. It is clear that the companies, charities and governments funding the work recognize that the potential benefits for crop production are very significant. In order to realise the true potential of these technological advances, the organisations responsible for the development and com- mercialization need to be confident that the improved varieties can be introduced into the market and traded internationally. This has been recognized for some time by regu- latory authorities and industry associations. The European Seed Association and the International Seed Federation have made clear the need for regulatory clarity and consistency worldwide. ES: How do you see the use of the new breeding methods developing in both your company and in the industry as a whole? GG: Like many other developments that have gone before, new breeding methods represent an additional toolkit with the potential to greatly accelerate the breed- ing process. The database connecting important crop characteristics to SNPs and gene knock-outs is growing steadily. Whilst it is possible for exactly the same SNPs or gene knock-outs to occur at random, the chances of them being found in breeding lines of a crop of interest are extremely remote. New breeding methods provide an opportunity to introduce these specific changes to elite crop lines within a few years or even months depending on the crop, the changes required and the meth- ods employed. New breeding methods like ODM, in combination with genomics and bioinfor- matics, have the potential to accelerate plant breeding at an unprecedented rate and make a major contribution to food security in an increasingly challenging environment. Greg Gocal is the chief scientific officer for Cibus.