Calyxt, a food and agriculture startup based on U of M research, recently received a European patent to create gene-edited plants by the transient delivery of sequence-specific nucleases, including CRISPR/Cas9.
“Conventionally, gene editing is performed by delivering DNA to cells,” says Dr. Dan Voytas, Calyxt’s Chief Science Officer and University of Minnesota Professor. “The DNA encodes a nuclease, such as CRISPR/Cas9, which makes the gene edit. The problem with conventional gene editing is that DNA can integrate randomly into the genome, creating off-target effects. For example, genes can be disrupted by the incoming DNA that you didn’t intend to disrupt. Calyxt has accomplished a precise method of gene editing that creates plants with the desired traits.”
Although Calyxt elected TALEN® to develop its food products, the company is constantly testing new gene editing technologies and inventing new methods and approaches to edit plant genes. Calyxt’s intellectual property portfolio is also strengthened by having licensed from Cellectis two patents of a family claiming the uses of chimeric nucleases, such as TALEN® and CRISPR/Cas9, for gene editing in any type of cells.
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