GDM — a company of Argentinian origin and headquartered in the state of Paraná — was authorized in Brazil to produce the first variety of an oleaginous developed through gene editing — soy, in this case. The seed has fewer sugars (raffinose and stachyose), which impair digestion in monogastric organisms such as humans, poultry and pigs.
The National Technical Commission for Biosafety (CTNBio) gave the green light to the project in March, when the seed was classified as free of genetically modified organisms, which certifies that it is not transgenic: “The plant has alterations that resemble a natural mutation, so it is classified as free of genetically modified organisms”, said André Beló, manager of new technologies at GDM, to Valor.
He says that gene editing accelerates mutations that would happen naturally in nature. In the genetically modified organism, the change necessarily depends on genetic engineering — through which the insertion of a gene from another donor organism to a certain plant is made. Brazil, says Mr. Beló, has legislation that regulates gene editing techniques and allows the differences in classification.
The research to develop the variety took three years. Now, after the classification CTNBio gave to the seed, the company is preparing the next steps of the project: the final tests in the field and the multiplication of the variety. GDM’s goal is to bring the new soybean to the market starting in 2025. With revenues of R$ 1.3 billion last year, 130% more than in 2020, the company designates at least 20% of its annual revenue to research and development.
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The company, which competes with giants such as the German Bayer and the American Corteva, believes that the new soybean is a relevant step in plant genetic improvement. “All the companies [that operate in the area] are certainly working with gene editing, but we came out ahead,” said Julio Cesar Poletto, GDM’s business leader.
GDM does not reveal the potential for earnings from sales of the new variety. The soybean developed by gene editing has a 75% reduction in raffinose and a 50% reduction in stachiosis. Those features contribute to better digestion and animal weight gain. With a more specific public of buyers in mind, the company wants to develop a new sales model. “The partners will not only be the traditional seeders,” Mr. Poletto said. “Large feed industries, for example, can join this list.”
Source: Valor International