5 years ago

Gene Editing to the Rescue: Tropic Biosciences Raises $28.5 Million to Fight Banana Disease

  • Tropic Biosciences, a UK-based biotech company, is using gene editing to develop a banana resistant to Panama disease, a fungal disease that threatens to wipe out banana crops

  • The company has raised $28.5 million in a Series B funding round from investors including Temasek and Sumitomo Corporation Europe

  • The new funding will be used to accelerate the development of the gene-edited banana, which could be available in five years

  • While some scientists believe that gene editing is just a quick fix, others argue that it is necessary to address the urgent threat posed by Panama disease.

      • ProblemAgriculture

      "Banana plantations are being wiped out by Panama disease, a fungal disease that can take 50 years to eradicate. This disease has already devastated farms in Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and Latin America, which exports the majority of the world's bananas. The Cavendish banana, which makes up the vast majority of bananas sold worldwide, is highly vulnerable to this disease because it's a clone, meaning all plants are genetically identical."

      Solution

      "Tropic Biosciences is using gene editing to develop a banana that is resistant to Panama disease. They are also working on extending the shelf life of bananas and reducing browning. The company has developed some young plants that have been modified with the Crispr gene-editing tool and are being grown in their laboratory and tested in fields already infected with Panama disease."

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