JOHNSTON, Iowa, and ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Oct. 17, 2017 – DuPont Pioneer and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center) have entered into a multiyear public/private partnership, including licensing and research collaboration agreements. The goal is to jointly develop improved food security crops.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pioneer will provide the Danforth Center access to its intellectual property (IP), technology capabilities and scientific expertise related to methods for using CRISPR-Cas advanced plant breeding technology for creating new varieties of improved food security crops with enhanced native traits. Technology access includes developmental genes which facilitate the production of gene-edited plants. Pioneer is a business unit of the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™.
Pioneer is applying CRISPR-Cas as an advanced plant breeding tool to develop seed products for greater environmental resiliency, productivity and sustainability. It has defined CRISPR-Cas guiding principles, which include helping enable others wanting to develop agricultural products using CRISPR-Cas. Pioneer previously announced the formation of a similar public/private partnership with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
The Danforth Center is applying CRISPR-Cas technology to staple food crops such as cassava and sorghum to produce planting materials with improved disease resistance, nutritional value and enhanced resilience to biotic stresses. Gene editing also is being employed as a powerful tool to increase understanding of the biology of these underserved, but vital crop plants. Through collaboration with African scientists, the Danforth Center is committed to delivering the benefits of gene editing to farmers and breeders in Africa. Combining developmental genes with CRISPR-Cas will significantly accelerate these efforts.
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research, education and outreach aim to have impact at the nexus of food security and the environment, and position the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The Center's work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Follow us on Twitter at @DanforthCenter.