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BULLETIN 1
Gene Drive Technologies: Advances in Health, Conservation, and Governance
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ISAAA November 12, 2025
ISAAA, Inc., in partnership with the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, will host a free webinar titled Gene Drive Technologies: Advances in Health, Conservation, and Governance on November 20, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM GMT+8 via Zoom.
Gene drive technology is rapidly advancing, offering powerful new tools with the potential to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges in public health and environmental conservation. Thus, this webinar will cover core concepts on gene drive while providing timely updates on real-world progress, emerging policy discussions, and the evolving societal considerations shaping the gene drive landscape. Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita, Executive Director of ISAAA, Inc., will moderate the discussions.
What You'll Learn
• Introduction to gene drive technologies and potential applications (Dr. Jackson Champer, Peking University)
• Advances in gene drive for vector-borne disease control (Dr. Brian Tarimo, Transmission Zero)
• Progress on projects for invasive species and biodiversity protection (Dr. Gelshan Godohewa, University of Adelaide)
• Stakeholder engagement for gene drive: best practices and challenges (Delphine Thizy, Independent consultant)
• Regulation and risk assessment (Dr. Brinda Dass, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health)
Limited slots only. Register now.
Gene drive technology is rapidly advancing, offering powerful new tools with the potential to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges in public health and environmental conservation. Thus, this webinar will cover core concepts on gene drive while providing timely updates on real-world progress, emerging policy discussions, and the evolving societal considerations shaping the gene drive landscape. Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita, Executive Director of ISAAA, Inc., will moderate the discussions.
What You'll Learn
• Introduction to gene drive technologies and potential applications (Dr. Jackson Champer, Peking University)
• Advances in gene drive for vector-borne disease control (Dr. Brian Tarimo, Transmission Zero)
• Progress on projects for invasive species and biodiversity protection (Dr. Gelshan Godohewa, University of Adelaide)
• Stakeholder engagement for gene drive: best practices and challenges (Delphine Thizy, Independent consultant)
• Regulation and risk assessment (Dr. Brinda Dass, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health)
Limited slots only. Register now.
BULLETIN 2
Scientists Speed Up Growth of Transgenic Plants from Months to Weeks
Scientists Speed Up Growth of Transgenic Plants from Months to Weeks
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Experts from Texas Tech University, the University of Minnesota, and the National Polytechnic Institute (Instituto Politécnico Nacional) have developed a new method to grow engineered plants in weeks instead of months by enhancing the plant's natural ability to regenerate after being wounded or clipped. Using this approach, the researchers successfully created transgenic plants by combining genetic engineering with the plant's own healing process.
The researchers used Agrobacterium, a bacterium known for transferring DNA into plants, to deliver new genes directly to wound sites. When applied to the plants, the modified bacteria triggered the plants' natural regrowth process, producing shoots and seeds. The technique, tested in tomatoes and soybeans, achieved a success rate of 21% to 35% and reduced soybean growth time from three to four months to just three and a half weeks.
The findings show that activating the plant's wound-induced regeneration pathway can make genetic modification faster and simpler. This innovation could help overcome key challenges in crop biotechnology, such as the long turnaround time and technical barriers of tissue-culture-based methods. Researchers believe the technique could accelerate the development of improved crop varieties and make genetic engineering more accessible for agricultural innovation.
For more information, read the study from Molecular Plant.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21590
The researchers used Agrobacterium, a bacterium known for transferring DNA into plants, to deliver new genes directly to wound sites. When applied to the plants, the modified bacteria triggered the plants' natural regrowth process, producing shoots and seeds. The technique, tested in tomatoes and soybeans, achieved a success rate of 21% to 35% and reduced soybean growth time from three to four months to just three and a half weeks.
The findings show that activating the plant's wound-induced regeneration pathway can make genetic modification faster and simpler. This innovation could help overcome key challenges in crop biotechnology, such as the long turnaround time and technical barriers of tissue-culture-based methods. Researchers believe the technique could accelerate the development of improved crop varieties and make genetic engineering more accessible for agricultural innovation.
For more information, read the study from Molecular Plant.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21590
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Review
Next-generation molecular breeding tools to harness higher genetic gains in sugarcane
Amaresh, Nunavath Aswini, Gopalareddy Krishnappa, A Anna Durai, R Manimekalai, H K Mahadeva Swamy, T Lakshmi Pathy, Vinayaka, V G Dhanya, N D Rathan, S Nandakumar, K Shwetha, V Sreenivasa, R T Maruthi, G S Suresha, G Hemaprabha, P Govindaraj
Planta; 2025 Oct 13; 262(5):122. doi: 10.1007/s00425-025-04842-7.
Review
Next-generation molecular breeding tools to harness higher genetic gains in sugarcane
Amaresh, Nunavath Aswini, Gopalareddy Krishnappa, A Anna Durai, R Manimekalai, H K Mahadeva Swamy, T Lakshmi Pathy, Vinayaka, V G Dhanya, N D Rathan, S Nandakumar, K Shwetha, V Sreenivasa, R T Maruthi, G S Suresha, G Hemaprabha, P Govindaraj
Planta; 2025 Oct 13; 262(5):122. doi: 10.1007/s00425-025-04842-7.
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Main conclusion
Next-generation molecular tools with AI integration can accelerate genetic gain in sugarcane by enhancing variation, accuracy, and efficiency, enabling rapid development of high-yielding, high-quality, and climate-resilient varieties.
Abstract
Enhancing genetic gain is essential for sustainable sugar and bioenergy production, especially amid growing global reliance on renewable energy sources. Sugarcane and its byproducts serve as important feedstocks for both first and second-generation biofuels, and face several breeding challenges due to its genetic complexity, extended breeding cycles, and strong environmental interactions. The breeder’s equation offers a quantitative framework to accelerate genetic improvement by optimizing four key components: additive genetic variation (σa), heritability (h2), selection intensity (i), and breeding cycle length (L). Additive genetic variation can be enhanced through genome-wide exploration, including genome, pan-genome, and super pangenome analyses, gene discovery, characterization, and the induction of novel variations. Precise estimation of heritability in sugarcane can be achieved through the large-scale characterization of germplasm, high-throughput phenotyping, and detailed genotype × environment interaction (G × E) studies. Selection intensity can be increased by expanding population sizes via genotypic, genomic, and in vitro selection, leveraging the law of large numbers, and adopting technologies that provide greater throughput, precision, and cost efficiency. Breeding cycle time can be significantly reduced using tools, such as marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, emerging doubled haploid strategies (though still challenging in polyploid crops like sugarcane), speed breeding, transgenic approaches, and genome editing technologies like CRISPR/Cas9 (including base and prime editing), TALENs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of each component of the breeder’s equation in sugarcane breeding and highlights next-generation molecular strategies and tools aligned to these components. The integration of these advanced tools with artificial intelligence holds immense potential to enhance genetic gain and accelerate the development of high-yielding, high-quality, and climate-resilient sugarcane varieties.
Enhancing genetic gain is essential for sustainable sugar and bioenergy production, especially amid growing global reliance on renewable energy sources. Sugarcane and its byproducts serve as important feedstocks for both first and second-generation biofuels, and face several breeding challenges due to its genetic complexity, extended breeding cycles, and strong environmental interactions. The breeder’s equation offers a quantitative framework to accelerate genetic improvement by optimizing four key components: additive genetic variation (σa), heritability (h2), selection intensity (i), and breeding cycle length (L). Additive genetic variation can be enhanced through genome-wide exploration, including genome, pan-genome, and super pangenome analyses, gene discovery, characterization, and the induction of novel variations. Precise estimation of heritability in sugarcane can be achieved through the large-scale characterization of germplasm, high-throughput phenotyping, and detailed genotype × environment interaction (G × E) studies. Selection intensity can be increased by expanding population sizes via genotypic, genomic, and in vitro selection, leveraging the law of large numbers, and adopting technologies that provide greater throughput, precision, and cost efficiency. Breeding cycle time can be significantly reduced using tools, such as marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, emerging doubled haploid strategies (though still challenging in polyploid crops like sugarcane), speed breeding, transgenic approaches, and genome editing technologies like CRISPR/Cas9 (including base and prime editing), TALENs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of each component of the breeder’s equation in sugarcane breeding and highlights next-generation molecular strategies and tools aligned to these components. The integration of these advanced tools with artificial intelligence holds immense potential to enhance genetic gain and accelerate the development of high-yielding, high-quality, and climate-resilient sugarcane varieties.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00425-025-04842-7
