Synthetic nanopores made from DNA
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIN 2015, the first commercial nanopore DNA sequencing device was introduced by Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Based on a synthetically engineered transmembrane protein, nanopore sequencing allows long DNA strands to be channelled through the central lumen of the pore where changes in the ionic current work as a sensor of the individual bases in the DNA. […]
Researchers finds genes conferring resistance to multiple leaf rust in barley
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAN INTERNATIONAL team led by researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has identified genes that confer resistance to multiple leaf rust species in barley. Simon Krattinger from KAUST’s Center for Desert Agriculture refers to their findings as nonhost resistance, the resistance of an entire species against all strains of a […]
First Argentine GM potato to be released in 2020
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAFTER being de-regulated during August 2018, the National Council of Technical and Scientific Research (CONICET) started last week the formal process to register the first transgenic potato cultivar in Argentina in the National Seed Institute’s register. In partnership with biotechnological company Sidus, the CONICET developed a potato with resistance to the virus Y, called SPT […]
GE increases availability of organic seeds
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMORDOR INTELLIGENCE reports that the global market for organic seeds was valued at USD 1,651.5 million in 2018 and is projected to reach a compound annual growth rate of 12.7% from 2019-2014. Polaris Market Research predicts that the global organic seed market will reach USD 5.35 billion by 2026. The increased availability of improved hybrid […]
Large-scale genomics for wheat improvement
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIMPROVING bread wheat using genomic tools is vital in speeding up development of varieties with enhanced traits. Thus, Carlos Guzman from the International Maize And Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and other genetics experts used large scale genomics and looked into the validity of genomic selection to improve wheat with less field work and less lab […]
Hornless cattle now possible thanks to genome-editing
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSCIENTISTS form the University of California, Davis, along with colleagues from the University of Mansoura in Egypt have successfully used genome editing to produce hornless cattle, which can then pass on the genome-edited traits to their calves. Their findings also revealed that the process did not result in any unintended genetic changes in the calves. […]
Jumping genes can speed-breed drought-resistant crops
Reading Time: 2 minutesRESEARCHERS from the University of Cambridge’s Sainsbury Laboratory (SLCU) and Department of Plant Sciences have discovered that drought stress triggers the activity of a family of jumping genes (Rider retrotransposons) previously known to contribute to fruit shape and colour in tomatoes. Their characterisation of Rider, published today in the journal PLOS Genetics, revealed that the […]
Is Malaysia ready to face agri challenges through gene technologies?
Reading Time: 2 minutesIN RECENT months Malaysians have been experiencing a spike in vegetable prices, some more than 100 per cent. For an example, the price of tomatoes has gone up from RM3 per kg to RM6. Although there are multiple factors that influence price of food crops, one reason is the low farm production. Our golden crop, […]
The ‘new normal’ cometh
Reading Time: 3 minutesBiotech Crops continue to help meet the challenges of feeding increased global populations and mitigating climate change. TOKYO, JAPAN: A total of 70 countries adopted biotech crops through cultivation and importation in 2018 – the 23rd year of continuous biotech crop adoption, according to the Global Status of Commercialised Biotech/GM Crops in 2018 (ISAAA Brief […]
Transgenic fungus rapidly killed malaria mosquitoes in West African study
Reading Time: 2 minutesACCORDING to the World Health Organisation, malaria affects hundreds of millions of people around the world, killing more than 400,000 annually. Decades of insecticide use has failed to control mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite and has led to insecticide-resistance among many mosquito strains. In response, scientists began genetically modifying mosquitoes and other organisms that […]