Establishing a Platform for Genome Editing in Fresh Produce for Consumer Traits

Consumption of fruits and vegetables “ the most effective solution to malnutrition“ can be limited by low production or high cost in some countries, and by poor quality characteristics or inconvenient preparation in others. Americans, for example, consume only half the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables despite widespread availability. Pairwise seeks to address these challenges regionally and globally by making healthy food more convenient, affordable, and sustainable. To fulfill this mission, we have assembled a world class portfolio of CRISPR technologies and a state-of-the-art R&D program focused on delivering differentiated products to the fresh produce aisle. We have established base editing and cutting tools with industry-leading performance profiles in plants, including editing efficiencies as high as 85%, and extensive target sequence accessibility through gene and protein engineering. We are applying these editing tools for novel consumer traits in cane berries.