New method genetic engineering bans disease in crops

At Maastricht University (UM), research is taking place to take genetically engineered food even further. Currently, manipulating food is hugely time-consuming, expensive and has limitations. There is a new way to manipulate food in a much more specific way: the crispr-cas method.

The crispr-cas is a method to change a single element in the code of all living organisms such as humans, animals, plants, fungi, viruses and bacteria. Biotechnologists can use the crispr-cas to "program out" specific diseases and their causes in fruits and vegetables. Hostile fungi, viruses and bacteria can be stopped, but also the taste or shelf life of a product can be improved. The advantage of the crispr-cas method is that the sector becomes more sustainable and productivity is increased. One example is that a certain crop no longer needs to be sprayed as often to prevent a disease.

UM and Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo

The UM is working on a new research group that will apply the technology at the Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo. The plans have not yet been worked out, but the intention is there. Peter Peters, Maastricht nanobiologist and UM professor is the project leader of this research and invites other researchers in Venlo to collaborate.

A setback in this innovative story is that the European court ruled last year that crisis technology must operate under the same rules as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This means mandatory studies that are enormously expensive, time-consuming and unnecessary according to experts from the sector and science. The Netherlands has also left the door ajar for this new technology for the time being.

Source: Dagblad de Limburger