Key Takeaways:
- genXtraits partners with Solis Agrosciences for R&D services to advance crop variety development.
- The company focuses on traits like stress tolerance and improved nutrition through a proprietary bioinformatics platform.
- Solis brings expertise in gene editing, crop improvement, and phenotypic screening.
- Collaboration aims to create and commercialize novel crop varieties or license them to seed companies.
What Is the Purpose of the Collaboration Between genXtraits and Solis?
genXtraits Inc. (Profile) and Solis Agrosciences (Profile) have entered into an agreement under which Solis will conduct research and development (R&D) services for genXtraits. This partnership aims to accelerate genXtraits’ crop variety development programs by leveraging Solis’ expertise in wet-lab studies and gene editing.
What Makes genXtraits’ Technology Unique?
genXtraits uses a proprietary bioinformatics platform to identify and modify specific control elements in genomes. By enhancing cellular levels of regulatory proteins, such as transcription factors and enzymes, the company develops “dominant traits” that provide critical advantages in breeding programs.
These traits include:
- Environmental Stress Tolerance: Resistance to drought, heat, cold, and disease.
- Improved Nutrition: Elevated levels of proteins and vitamins in crops.
“Our methodology results in dominant traits. This contrasts what most other companies are doing, since we focus on switching on gene networks, rather than breaking them,” said Dr. Oliver Ratcliffe, Co-Founder & CEO of genXtraits.
What Role Will Solis Agrosciences Play?
Solis will carry out wet-lab development work for genXtraits, including:
- Cell-Based Studies: Validating the function of DNA elements identified by genXtraits algorithms.
- Gene-Edited Plants: Creating plants with enhanced traits.
The outcome will be new crop varieties that can be commercialized by genXtraits or licensed to seed companies for use in breeding programs.
“Solis’ team has decades of experience in producing and characterizing new crop varieties, and we are pleased to add genXtraits to a growing list of clients,” said Charlie Bolten, Co-Founder & CEO of Solis.
What Services Does Solis Agrosciences Provide?
Solis Agrosciences offers end-to-end crop improvement services, including:
- Gene Editing: Expertise in corn, soybean, tomato, and Arabidopsis.
- Phenotypic Screening: High-quality greenhouse studies for traits, biologics, and chemistries.
- Genomic Sequencing: Enhanced capabilities through its recent acquisition of Ferris Genomics assets.
How Will This Partnership Impact the Agricultural Industry?
By combining genXtraits’ innovative bioinformatics platform with Solis’ expertise in molecular and phenotypic research, the collaboration is expected to yield crop varieties with superior traits. These advancements could address challenges like climate change, food security, and consumer demand for healthier crops.
“Being able to access Solis’ state-of-the-art development capabilities is a game changer for a new biotech firm like genXtraits,” said Dr. Ratcliffe.
