Key facts
- Chinese researchers are developing proprietary gene-editing tools.
- Artificial intelligence is being used to accelerate the development of these tools.
- Wimi Biotechnology is experimenting with gene editing in corn to introduce traits like higher yield and reduced kernel water content.
- The company has engineered its own gene-editing protein, CasY7, to bypass legal issues associated with CRISPR-Cas9.
Researchers at the agritech startup Wimi Biotechnology Co. Ltd. in Changzhou, China, are actively developing their own gene-editing tools, utilizing artificial intelligence to expedite the process. Their experiments focus on modifying corn DNA to introduce desirable traits such as increased yield or reduced water content in kernels. This initiative underscores China's drive to establish its own comprehensive gene-editing capabilities, with the company engineering a novel protein, CasY7, to circumvent potential legal complications associated with the widely-used CRISPR-Cas9 technology.