France
January 28, 2011
Meiogenix and CIRAD signed a collaboration agreement to evaluate the impact of Meiogenix’s SpiX™ technology in modulating meiotic homologous recombination in the genome of rice. The research program which will be performed in the laboratory of Dr. Emmanuel Guiderdoni, an expert in rice genomics, could lead to the identification of new natural varieties of rice with high commercial potential.
Meiogenix holds a worldwide exclusive license from the Institut Curie and the INRA to modulate the frequency of homologous recombination in eukaryotic genomes. This technology facilitates the natural process that introduces genetic diversity in organisms allowing the generation of novel natural varieties with commercial potential and that would not be labeled as GMOs. « Besides being a good genetic model, rice is a plant that has an important impact in the worldwide food industry. Our technology can speed-up the development of new natural varieties with characteristics that may help the worldwide community facing food crisis » says Dr. Giacomo Bastianelli, CEO of Meiogenix.
Rice is the most important food crop of the developing world and the staple food of more than 3 billion people, i.e. more than half of world’s population. It provides 20 percent of the world’s dietary energy supply, while wheat only supplies 19 percent and maize 5 percent. The nutrient content of rice can be improved by using both traditional selective plant breeding techniques and new technologies, such as modification of the plant’s genetic code.
« Combining favorable traits in new varieties or isolating genes of interest is often hampered by the low frequency of meiotic homologous recombination in target genome regions. CIRAD sees SpiX™ both as a powerful tool to accelerate the development of new varieties and as a research tool to discover new traits. SpiX™ has the potential of enhancing recombination in the vicinity of genes of interest, thereby accelerating their transfer or isolation by conventional methods » explains Dr. Guiderdoni.
Compared to other approaches, SpiX™ technology platform uses the natural machinery of the organism to introduce diversity in the progeny. It helps nature to do better what it already does with the result of facilitating the selection of new natural varieties. Meiogenix seeks to expand the collaborations and apply its breakthrough technologies in other plants and eukaryotic organisms.
Meiogenix is a French biotech company that holds an exclusive and worldwide license for a technology that modulates the frequency of homologous recombination in eukaryotic cells. This technology facilitates the natural process that introduces genetic diversity in organisms allowing the generation of novel natural varieties with commercial potential. A spin-off from Institut Curie financed by Kurma Biofund, Meiogenix intends to further develop this breakthrough technology and exploit it commercially.
CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement) is a public industrial and commercial enterprise (EPIC) under the joint authority of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. CIRAD works with the whole range of developing countries to generate and pass on new knowledge, support agricultural development and fuel the debate on the main global issues concerning agriculture. CIRAD is a targeted research organization, and bases its operations on development needs, from field to laboratory and from a local to a global scale. CIRAD has a global network of partners and of twelve regional offices, from which it conducts joint operations with more than 90 countries. Its bilateral partnerships fit in with multilateral operations of regional interest. In metropolitan France, it provides the national and global scientific communities with extensive research and training facilities, primarily in Montpellier.
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