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Artificial Chromosome Could Help Boost Food Production
October 22, 2007 at 11:18 AM
Research News
"This appears to be the tool that agricultural scientists and farmers have long dreamed of," said Daphne Preuss, a University of Chicago professor of molecular genetics and Chromatin's president.
Preuss said that adding a chromosome to a plant's genetic makeup is more useful to scientists than adding individual genes one at a time, as is the way most genetic engineering is done now.
When a single gene is added to a plant its placement tends to be random, so many plants must be used to get a few that use the new gene to acquire a trait, such as better tolerance for drought. Often, a plant needs two or three new genes to acquire drought resistance, Preuss said, which is difficult to achieve using today's technology.
An artificial chromosome can carry several desired genes and be inserted in a targeted location in a plant, she said, giving scientists the power to imbue plants with desired traits much more quickly and reliably than has been possible before.
Earlier this year Monsanto Co. signed a non-exclusive agreement to use Chromatin's technology and Chromatin has been in discussions with several other agribusiness firms, expecting to conclude similar agreements.
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More News on: Birth Defect - Genetic, Metabolic Defects, Why Do We Eat - Nutrition Facts, Diet Lifestyle and Heart Disease, Hunger Fullness and Weight Control, Von Recklinghausen's Disease, Label Lingo on Food Items: Decoded
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