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| Phytoform and Corteva partner on AI to boost disease resistance in corn |
by Jennifer Marston, AgFunder News
London, UK — UK-based gene editing startup Phytoform will collaborate with ag giant Corteva to explore AI’s role in boosting disease resistance capabilities in corn.
The two parties will use Phytoform’s CRE.AI.TIVE platform, which employs machine learning to identify small changes to DNA sequences in plants that could bring beneficial impacts if activated.
The company’s platform introduces “minimal and accurate changes” to the plant without introducing foreign DNA, allowing it to bypass the “GMO” label.
In the case of the Corteva partnership, CRE.AI.TIVE will search through “millions of potential variations in DNA control regions” in plants and select the most effective for building resilience to two of the most common diseases for corn.
While the companies will not yet publicly reveal which diseases those are, Phytoform cofounder William Pelton reiterates that they are “two of the biggest” diseases impacting corn production.
The companies will work together to optimize gene expression of two native genes that “are key to disease resistance” in corn.
“Corteva had these genes in their germ plasm, so the disease resistance was basically there but inactive,” he tells AgFunderNews.
“That’s exactly where we can help, and without creating GMO traits. We can help them fine tune their existing genome to activate those genes and confer that disease resistance.”
Beyond R&D
The partnership also marks Phytoform’s first deal with a major corporate.
Beyond that, for Phytoform, which Pelton co-founded in 2017, the partnership is also a big step in terms of expanding the platform to new crops and species. Phytoform has previously worked with potatoes and tomatoes.
Corn is one of the most-produced crops in the world and prone to a number of different diseases, including Gray Leaf Spot, Common Rust, and various leaf blights.
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