b'With regulatory acceptance from six countriesin America and Africa, BioHeuris prepares tocommercialize its first CRISPR-edited cropsW of plant gene variants can be discovered and ranked by the level eeds have always been a major concern for agriculture.Although farmers around the world are spending more of herbicide-tolerance they provide.than $23 billion in herbicides to control them annually,To introduce these traits in crops they developed a state-of-the-new resistant weeds are spreading faster than ever. The problemart gene editing and speed-breeding platform that uses LED is in part due to the repeated use of a limited number oftechnology.herbicides.With our platforms fully operational, time to market will beArgentine biotech start-up BioHeuris is hoping to address thisreduced by half and development costs cut 50 times compared to issue by bringing farmers a next-generation of herbicide-resistantcurrent GMO crops developed by the big seed companies. This crops using synthetic biology, speed-breeding and CRISPR genenot only makes BioHeuris really attractive for our partners but editing. also means we will be able to lower input costs for farmers, saidThere are more than 300 registered herbicides. Some of theDiego Angelo, Global Head of Business and Board Advisor.greener ones can control weeds but also damage crops, Recently, the regulatory agencies of Argentina, Brazil, the US, BioHeuris CEO and co-founder Lucas Lieber told SeedWorld.Colombia, Chile and Kenya confirmed that the products that With our technology, farmers could start using a moreBioHeuris is developing will be regulated as conventional diversified palette of herbicides that are safer for theproducts and not as transgenic crops, which will allow them to environment, delaying weed resistance. provide more options to growers, at a lower price and fasterBioHeuris is partnering with independent seed and chemicalthan with current solutions based on GMO events.companies that co-invest in research and development, in Our technology improves crops without leaving DNA from different countries and several crops including soybean,other species in plant genomes, said Angelo.sorghum, cotton and rice.Having successfully completed the first field trials, BioHeurisUsing high-throughput protein evolution assays incontinues to add licensing agreements with seed companies.microorganisms, in a few weeks BioHeuris lab is able to mimicWhile preparing the commercial launch of its first technologies, experiments that would take hundreds of acres and years of fieldthe company is also advancing new alliances with strategic trials. With this miniaturized state-of-the-art platform thousandspartners to develop solutions in more crops.Company: BioHeurisFounded: 2016Sta: 19Partnerships:- Seed companies- Agrochemical companies- Agbiotech companiesLocations:- Rosario, Argentina- Saint Louis, USALATAMSEEDWORLD.COM /15'