St. Louis, Missouri, USA
April 19, 2021
Bioheuris, a biotechnology company using synthetic biology and gene editing to combat weeds, is pleased to announce that it has submitted a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to cover genes from crops like soybean, rice, cotton, sorghum and alfalfa, optimized for herbicide resistance.
Herbicide-resistant GMO crops that express genes from other species are already available for farmers in several countries. The patent-pending technology covered in this patent application is different because it improves plants’ own genes. The resistance can be introduced via gene editing, precisely changing a few nucleotides from the crop genome without introducing foreign DNA.
“The filing of this provisional patent application validates the uniqueness of our gene discovery platform to evolve plant proteins for weed control” said Lucas Lieber, CEO and co-founder of Bioheuris. “We are now using our proprietary gene editing platform based on CRISPR to empower top varieties and at the same time looking to license out the technology to other companies with gene editing capabilities”
Compared to commercial alternatives, Bioheuris technology relies on herbicides that are safer to the environment and to humans and will require less amount of chemicals to sustainably manage weeds. Combining herbicide-resistant traits in the same crop will allow farmers to use chemical mixes that delay weed resistance, one of the main challenges growers are facing today.
About Bioheuris
Bioheuris is an Argentine-born biotechnology company developing sustainable weed management systems for farmers around the world. Powered by synthetic biology and gene editing platforms, Bioheuris accelerates plant breeding to evolve crops faster than weeds. For more information, visit www.bioheuris.com.
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