Make crop breeding more accurate and efficient

R&D personnel work on the Shunfeng Biological R&D platform

Photo courtesy of Shunfeng Biology

"High vitamin C" lettuce cultivated by Shunfeng Bio

Photo courtesy of Shunfeng Biology

Have you ever seen lettuce with a vitamin C content comparable to that of a kiwi? In the Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory of Hainan Province, the "high vitamin C" lettuce is growing gratifyingly

In the process of vitamin C synthesis in plant cells, two genes play a key role, namely the rate-limiting enzyme for vitamin C synthesis

The gene editing technology, which won the 2020 Nobel Prize, is hailed as a revolutionary breakthrough in life sciences in the 21st century, and has been applied in many countries, showing broad prospects in scientific research, agriculture, clinical medicine and other fields

Find the "gene scissors" that can be accurately positioned

Successful development of new gene-editing tool could help breed higher-yielding, better-quality crops

Genes are segments of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) with genetic effects that control the traits of living things and support the basic structure and performance of life

According to Zhu Jiankang, the final result of gene editing and traditional breeding techniques is similar, that is, the introduction of genetic variation needed by humans

The advent of gene editing has made more precise gene regulation a reality

Zhu Jianjian told reporters: "Existing studies have shown that gene editing technology can precisely and quickly generate the genetic mutations required for crop improvement, helping to breed higher yield, more nutritious, more tolerant to extreme weather, and require less chemical fertilizers.

In the process of gene editing, it is very important to find a gene editing tool with its own "navigation system" that can accurately locate

In 2018, Lai Jinsheng, a professor at China Agricultural University, discovered two novel gene editing tools, CRISPR/Cas12i and CRISPR/Cas12j, in bacteriophages, which are smaller than CRISPR/Cas9 and retain the key functions of precise genome editing in a compact protein scaffold.

Since then, Zhu Jiankang led the team to cooperate with it for follow-up development

Carry out scientific research around the industry

Successfully developed gene editing systems for more than 20 crops, and carried out the reserve layout of more than 100 products

In the "Rapid Breeding Plant Factory" of Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co.

Shunfeng Bio is the operator of the first precision gene editing engineering R&D platform in China

"We make good use of new gene editing tools, and the ultimate goal is to apply them to crop breeding, not just at the academic research level

"It is necessary to do useful scientific research around the needs of the industry

At present, Shunfeng Bio has built a technology platform of more than 8,000 square meters, a research and development center of 22,000 square meters, and plans to build a gene editing industrialization base of 100,000 square meters
.
It also has a gene editing underlying technology research and development platform, a gene editing product engineering development platform, a high-throughput germplasm resource innovation cultivation platform, and a plant gene editing pilot-scale maturation platform
.
There is a technology center composed of molecular department, genetic transformation department, trait department, and breeding big data department, a research and development center composed of product research and development department, technology research and development department, and testing department, and an industrial development with the seed industry chain as the layout.
The center brings together more than 240 researchers in various fields of life sciences
.

"The close integration of production, education, research and application is the key to promoting the industrialization of gene editing breeding
.
" Dr.
Niu Xiaomu, director of Shunfeng Biological Project, believes that in order to establish and improve the production, education, research and application system, the company has carried out extensive cooperation with colleges and universities, and introduced a group of guest speakers The team of professors and joint training of postgraduates form a joint scientific research force to jointly promote the industrial application of gene editing
.

Industrialization ushered in new opportunities

There are clearer specifications for the research, development and application of gene editing in crops, which strengthens the institutional guarantee for the application of gene editing technology in my country.

　　Gene editing technology is a new engine for turning over the seed industry and driving the development of the seed industry, and it is also a powerful tool to enhance the competitiveness of China's seed industry
.
In January this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the "Guidelines for the Safety Evaluation of Gene Editing Plants for Agricultural Use (Trial)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"), and China's crop gene editing research and development and application have more clear specifications, strengthening China's gene editing technology Institutional safeguards for applications
.

　　The "Guide" clarifies that, for gene-edited plants without the introduction of foreign genes, the safety evaluation shall be declared based on the possible risks
.
"This will help China to build a more accurate and efficient biological breeding technology system, and the research and development of gene editing breeding technology and industrial development will also usher in new opportunities
.
" Zhu Jiankang said
.

　　Niu Xiaomu said that the release of the "Guide" has made the company more confident
.
In the next step, they will accelerate the layout of the biological breeding industry, continue to tackle key problems in biological breeding technology, continue to dig deep into the market demand, and form a joint force with downstream seed industry, agrochemical and biotechnology companies to achieve complementary advantages in the industrial chain and promote gene editing.
Technical product reserve layout
.

　　Zhu Jiankang's hometown is in rural Anhui, which is the main grain producing area
.
In his youth, Zhu's healthy ideal was simple: to go to university, to eat commercial food, and not to burden the family
.
"My parents can't do farm work anymore
.
They often ask me, what have I done after decades of scientific research? I said how many articles I have published, but they can't understand them, and I always feel that I haven't done anything.
What is coming
.
" Zhu Jiankang said, "It is my greatest wish to do a good job in gene editing technology, make my parents happy, and benefit the vast number of farmers
.
"

(People's Daily reporter Gu Yekai)