Key Takeaways:
- Mars, Incorporated has entered into a licensing agreement with Pairwise for use of its Fulcrum® gene editing platform
- The agreement grants Mars access to CRISPR tools, including the SHARC™ enzyme, to enhance cacao crop development
- Mars aims to address cacao challenges related to climate change, disease, and environmental stress
- The Fulcrum platform allows for precise genetic changes, accelerating plant breeding efforts
- Both companies emphasize the role of transparent and responsible innovation in agriculture
Mars Partners with Pairwise to Strengthen Cacao Resilience
New Agreement Targets Climate and Disease Challenges
Mars, Incorporated has licensed the Fulcrum® gene editing platform from Pairwise, marking a significant step toward improving cacao crops through advanced plant breeding. The agreement enables Mars to use Pairwise’s CRISPR-based tools, including the SHARC™ enzyme, for research and development aimed at enhancing cacao resilience and productivity.
Through this initiative, Mars seeks to develop traits that help cacao crops better withstand climate variability, plant diseases, and environmental stresses, all of which pose ongoing threats to global cacao supply chains.
Pairwise’s Fulcrum® Platform Brings Precision to Crop Trait Development
Faster Results Than Traditional Breeding Methods
The Pairwise Fulcrum® platform offers a suite of tools, gene editing enzymes, trait libraries, and design capabilities, that allow for targeted modification of crop traits. Unlike traditional breeding, the platform enables researchers to fine-tune plant characteristics with high specificity, such as activating or deactivating genes or adjusting gene expression levels.
According to Mars’ Plant Sciences Director Carl Jones, the company sees CRISPR as a promising tool for sustainable agriculture. “Our focus is to transparently and responsibly conduct CRISPR research in plant science that helps crops better adapt to climate challenges, disease pressures and resource constraints,” said Jones.
A Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Innovation
Shared Goals in Agriculture and Science
Pairwise COO Ian Miller welcomed the partnership, stating, “We’re pleased to provide Mars with access to our Fulcrum platform for their cacao research and development initiatives. Plant breeding innovation has the potential to help address important agricultural challenges.”
The collaboration reflects a growing trend of strategic partnerships in the agri-tech sector, where companies are turning to next-generation breeding technologies to secure and improve critical crop systems. For Mars, this move supports its broader sustainability efforts by integrating scientific innovation with supply chain resilience.
Looking Ahead for Mars and Pairwise
As cacao crops continue to face mounting pressures from global environmental changes, the Mars-Pairwise partnership illustrates how genome editing platforms like Fulcrum may become central tools in safeguarding the future of food production. By enabling precision improvements in crop performance, the licensed technology has the potential to help Mars navigate the evolving agricultural landscape with greater flexibility and efficiency.
4 Comments