Crispr wants to feed the world

Ten years after its discovery, the implications of Crispr genome editing are profound and far-reaching, and we are just getting started. This tool, adapted from a bacterial immune system, allows us to cut and modify the genetic code of any living cell to make highly targeted modifications and repairs. A small number of people with genetic conditions have been helped by Crispr therapies, highlighting the potential to impact the lives of people with approximately 7,000 genetic conditions with known causes. Trials are underway in diseases ranging from diabetes to infectious diseases.

In 2023, we will begin to benefit from new Crispr-based solutions in other areas. For example, on the heels of early clinical trial results, the first agricultural applications using Crispr have recently entered the market: a US Food and Drug Administration-approved modification of cattle genes recreates a smooth coat that the sometimes found in nature. and allows cows to tolerate increasing temperatures; a tomato edited by Crispr, approved for sale in Japan, has improved nutritional qualities. In other crops, Crispr is used experimentally to increase yield, reduce pesticide and water use, and protect against disease.

The next space for Crispr innovations will be climate change, the defining battle of our time. In 2023, bold new efforts using Crispr to target climate change will begin.

First, new research aims to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture. Agriculture is responsible for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, and these come mainly from microbes either in the soil, for example in rice paddies, or in the entrails of farm animals. This new research focuses on how to use Crispr to modify these microbes or alter the composition of microbial communities to reduce or even eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.

Second, we are finding ways to enhance the inherent ability of plants and microbes to capture carbon and store it in the soil. Plants “inhale” carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and use it to produce energy, but usually the carbon is returned to the atmosphere fairly quickly. New research aims to work with plants and soil microbes to not only capture carbon, but also store it in the soil for long periods of time, replacing some of the soil carbon that has been lost in large amounts since the advent of modern agriculture.

Third, we are developing new ways to minimize farmer inputs like fertilizers and pesticides that have high carbon costs, as well as other environmental health costs. Crispr’s new research aims to modify staple crops like rice so they can grow with less fertilizer. Crispr can be used to make plants resistant to common pathogens and pests, reducing the need for carbon-intensive chemical inputs.

Finally, we need ways to help agriculture cope with the degree of climate change that has already happened or is unavoidable. New research is using Crispr to engineer plants that can produce more food and other materials with less water and that tolerate temperature extremes.

Much of the attention surrounding Crispr has focused on medical applications, and for good reason: the results are promising and the personal stories are uplifting, offering hope to many who have suffered from genetic diseases. long neglected. In 2023, as Crispr moves into agriculture and climate, we will have the opportunity to radically improve human health in a holistic way that can better protect our society and enable millions of people around the world to thrive.