Corteva and Resurrect Bio: Pioneering AI-Powered Disease Resistance in Corn
Corteva Agriscience is partnering with Resurrect Bio, a Norwegian biotech startup, to leverage artificial intelligence and gene editing in the fight against corn diseases. This collaboration aims to restore the effectiveness of existing genes within the corn genome that have been rendered ineffective by evolving pathogens. The partnership was highlighted at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco.
The Growing Threat of Corn Diseases
North American corn growers currently lose an estimated 1.28 billion bushels of corn annually to disease. The unpredictable nature of these outbreaks – farmers face uncertainty about which diseases will impact their yields each year – underscores the necessitate for broad-spectrum disease resistance. Corteva’s strategy focuses on developing hybrids capable of responding to multiple disease threats simultaneously.
FloraFold: AI Predicting Plant-Pathogen Interactions
Resurrect Bio’s AI-driven platform, FloraFold, is central to this effort. It predicts interactions between plant and pathogen proteins at a molecular level, allowing researchers to identify and reactivate genes that have lost their defensive capabilities over time. As Wendy Srnic, VP of biotechnology for Corteva, explained, these genes are still present in the corn genome but have been overcome by resistant pathogen variants.
Gene Editing: A Faster Path to Resistance
Gene editing is gaining prominence as a tool for identifying beneficial traits, and AI is accelerating the process. Corteva is utilizing AI to refine its gene editing efforts, quickly identifying and discarding unproductive research avenues. This has dramatically reduced the time required to achieve specific protein modifications – from a lengthy process to less than a year in some cases.
“What we have actually been able to do in a lot of cases internally with AI is broaden that ecosystem of hypotheses … And then use AI to pull information from many different sources to say ‘These are bad hypotheses, and let’s not even go there. These are the better ones’,” Srnic stated.
Beyond Corn: The Broader Implications for Agri-Tech
Corteva’s investment in Resurrect Bio’s Series A funding round, alongside firms like AgFunder and Calculus Capital, signals a growing trend of venture capital flowing into AI-driven agricultural biotechnology. This partnership builds on Corteva’s previous collaboration with Profluent, another AI and biotech startup, to enhance its Genlytix research platform.
This approach isn’t limited to corn. The principles of restoring lost immunity through AI-guided gene editing could be applied to a wide range of crops, offering a powerful novel tool for enhancing food security and reducing reliance on chemical pesticides.
Pro Tip
Retain an eye on companies leveraging AI for gene editing. This is a rapidly evolving field with the potential to revolutionize crop breeding and disease management.
FAQ
Q: What is FloraFold?
A: FloraFold is Resurrect Bio’s AI-based platform that predicts plant-pathogen protein interactions at a molecular level.
Q: How does this partnership benefit farmers?
A: The goal is to develop corn hybrids with broader and more durable disease resistance, reducing crop losses and improving yields.
Q: Is this technology limited to corn?
A: No, the principles behind this approach could be applied to other crops as well.
Q: What role does AI play in this process?
A: AI accelerates gene editing by helping researchers identify promising research directions and discard unproductive ones.
Q: What is Corteva’s Genlytix ecosystem?
A: Genlytix is Corteva’s ecosystem focused on bringing value to farmers, with disease control as a first target.
Did you recognize? North American corn growers lose 1.28 billion bushels of corn to disease each year.
Want to learn more about the latest advancements in agricultural technology? Visit the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit website to explore upcoming events and research.