Tropic's Innovative Banana Biotech: A Breakthrough in Tropics and Trade
Tropic, a plant biotechnology company based in the UK, has made significant strides in revolutionizing banana cultivation and trade through gene editing techniques. With their upcoming launch of non-browning bananas and extended shelf-life bananas, Tropic aims to reduce food waste and redefine the fruit market globally. Additionally, by expanding field trials for a disease-resistant strain of Cavendish bananas, Tropic is tackling one of the most severe fungal threats to banana crops worldwide.
Tropic, founded in 2016 by Gilad Gershon and Eyal Maori, has garnered attention for their novel Gene Editing Induced Gene Silencing (GEiGS) technology. This approach activates a plant’s natural gene silencing to counter threats from fungi and viruses. While Tropic is acclaimed for this technology, their latest banana innovations—non-browning and extended shelf-life varieties—use traditional CRISPR gene-editing techniques.
Non-Browning Bananas: Expanding Fruit Market Horizons
Non-browning bananas represent a significant step forward for Tropic, opening up the cut fruit market by providing bananas that maintain their aesthetic appeal longer. Browning in bananas, unlike ripening, is simply a cosmetic issue triggered by polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that oxidizes phenolic compounds leading to the brown color. This same process occurs in apples and potatoes and affects consumer perception but not the fruit's quality or taste.
Tropic has developed these bananas by identifying and disabling the genes responsible for the said enzyme. This innovation not only sustains the banana's taste and sweetness but also enhances its marketability by keeping it visually appealing for longer periods. This makes it feasible to include bananas in pre-packaged fruit salads or cut fruit selections, a market sector from which bananas have traditionally been excluded due to their rapid browning.
Regulatory approvals for these bananas have already been secured in several territories, including the Philippines, Colombia, Honduras, the USA, and Canada, with more expected to follow, making these bananas a potentially significant player on the international market.
Extended Shelf-Life Bananas: Reducing Waste and Costs
In addition to non-browning bananas, Tropic is introducing bananas with an extended shelf life later in the year. Traditionally, bananas are harvested green to ensure they endure the journey from production to consumption without ripening prematurely. However, transportation limitations constrain how far bananas can travel without spoiling.
By knocking out specific genes responsible for ethylene production—a hormone causing ripening changes—Tropic's bananas can stay green for extended periods. This translates into an additional 10 days of shelf life, enabling broader distribution and reducing waste and transportation costs. This gene editing does not cease ripening entirely but provides valuable additional time, which is crucial in the banana trade.
The approach not only supports longer storage and reduced packaging needs but also facilitates exports to new, distant markets which were previously unreachable due to shelf-life constraints.
Fusarium Wilt – A Global Threat
Fusarium wilt, or TR4, represents a critical challenge for Cavendish banana crops worldwide, often wiping out entire plantations. In response, Tropic is leveraging its GEiGS technology to develop TR4-resistant bananas. The GEiGS technology creatively combines RNA interference (RNAi) with gene editing, repurposing the plant’s own non-coding RNA to target and inhibit genes in the harmful fungus.
This method facilitates greater precision, avoiding the off-target effects that conventional gene knockouts can cause. GEiGS works by modifying the plant’s natural regulatory pathways to minimize or negate the impact of the fungal disease, presenting a more targeted and effective approach to combating TR4 without introducing foreign DNA.
Such specificity not only enhances the plant's resistance but also circumvents the complications associated with conventional GMOs, simplifying regulatory approvals and ensuring broader acceptance.
A Groundbreaking Technology with Wider Applications
Tropic's patented GEiGS technology underscores a sophisticated evolution in biotechnology, offering precision not achievable through older strategies. By enabling partial gene activity reduction, it allows for nuanced control over gene expression, providing targeted resistance where needed—be it in the root, stem, or fruit—while maintaining the rest of the plant's functions.
GEiGS offers unique flexibility, making it a valuable asset across various sectors beyond bananas. Tropic’s collaborations with companies like Corteva for disease-resistant corn and soybean, British Sugar for resilient sugar beet, and Genus for livestock disease solutions illustrate the technology’s versatile applications.
As Tropic progresses its field trials and advances commercial partnerships, the full potential of GEiGS is beginning to unfold. By enhancing plant resilience dramatically and efficiently, they are poised to bring transformative changes to agricultural biotechnology.
The Future of Tropic in the Gene Editing Arena
Tropic's achievements, symbolized by an $80 million funding round, illustrate a promising future in the emerging plant gene editing industry. By licensing their innovative GEiGS technology and collaborating with major agricultural players, Tropic solidifies its position within the competitive space.
As each genetic modification endeavor has distinct challenges, Tropic’s unique tools, particularly GEiGS, complement those of other industry leaders. This inventive vision and collaborative approach not only position Tropic as an industry pioneer but also enable them to generate substantial revenue through strategic alliances.
In conclusion, Tropic's gene-edited bananas, coupled with their pioneering GEiGS technology, blaze a new trail in plant biotech. By addressing both aesthetic and logistical challenges in banana distribution and tackling one of the most significant agricultural diseases globally with precision biotech, Tropic is set to significantly influence both agricultural practices and global markets.
출처 : Original Source