{"id":74220,"date":"2025-11-20T10:59:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T05:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=74220"},"modified":"2025-11-20T10:59:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T05:29:03","slug":"indigenous-gene-editing-technology-to-make-ge-crops-cheaper-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indigenous-gene-editing-technology-to-make-ge-crops-cheaper-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Gene Editing Technology to Make GE Crops Cheaper in India"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Gene Editing Tech Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian scientists have created a homegrown, \u201cminiature\u201d alternative to the globally patented <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/crispr-cas9\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>CRISPR-Cas<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> system for precise genome editing in plants.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRISPR-Cas is a natural bacterial defense system adapted for genome editing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It uses a guide RNA to lead a Cas enzyme, such as Cas9, to a specific DNA sequence.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cas enzyme cuts the DNA at that exact spot, and the cell\u2019s repair machinery is then used to insert, delete, or modify genes with precision.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new technology, recently patented by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), uses <\/span><b>TnpB<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 transposon-associated proteins \u2014 to cut and modify plant DNA.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This development strengthens India\u2019s ability to produce genome-edited (GE) crops at lower cost while reducing dependence on foreign proprietary tools.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Gene Modification Vs Gene Editing<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Gene Modification <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GM introduces foreign DNA from a different species into an organism.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Process: A new gene from another organism is inserted into the target organism\u2019s genome.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outcome: Produces a genetically modified organism (GMO) containing genetic material from multiple species.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analogy: Like inserting a new chapter from another author into a book.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: Adding a gene from another plant species to make a crop disease-resistant.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Gene Editing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Gene editing makes precise, targeted changes to an organism\u2019s existing DNA without adding foreign genes.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Process: Small changes\u2014such as deletions, corrections, or replacements\u2014are made at specific DNA sites. It uses <\/span><b>Molecular scissors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Cas\/TnpB) and <\/span><b>Guides RNA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to direct cuts at precise DNA locations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outcome: Produces a genetically edited organism (GEO) with modified original DNA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analogy: Like correcting or deleting a word in a document.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: Removing a gene to stop an unwanted protein or correcting a mutation causing a genetic disorder.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>India\u2019s First GE Rice Varieties<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ICAR announced two CRISPR-edited rice varieties:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Samba Mahsuri (IIRR)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 Edited <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cytokinin oxidase 2<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gene using CRISPR-Cas12a \u2192 higher yield.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>MTU-1010 (IARI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 Edited <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DST<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gene using CRISPR-Cas9 \u2192 drought &amp; salinity tolerance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These varieties face <\/span><b>commercialisation hurdles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to CRISPR patent restrictions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Indigenous Breakthrough in Genome Editing<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian scientists have developed a \u201cminiature alternative\u201d to CRISPR-Cas technologies using <\/span><b>TnpB proteins<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, offering a fully indigenous genome-editing (GE) tool for plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The technology, recently patented by ICAR, enables precise DNA cutting and modification to improve crop traits.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>What Makes TnpB Technology Different<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new tool uses Transposon-associated TnpB proteins that function like Cas9\/Cas12a as molecular scissors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Key advantages<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Much smaller size (400\u2013500 amino acids) compared to Cas9 (1,000\u20131,400) and Cas12a (1,300).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compact size allows easy delivery via viral vectors, avoiding tissue-culture-based delivery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uses Deinococcus radiodurans-derived TnpB, enabling efficient gene editing.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deinococcus radiodurans is a bacterium that can survive in extremely harsh conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bacterium is harmless to humans. It is useful in bioremediation and can help clean up radioactive waste.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Why TnpB-Based Editing Is a Game Changer<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The indigenous tool allows:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Freedom from foreign IP control<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower costs for GE crop development<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Easier DNA delivery due to the protein\u2019s small size<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Potential to address NGO concerns about foreign companies dominance<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why India Needed an Alternative to CRISPR<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRISPR-Cas technologies are controlled globally by:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Broad Institute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 patents for CRISPR-Cas12a<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Corteva Agriscience<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 joint licensing for CRISPR-Cas9 in agriculture<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian scientists can use CRISPR for research but commercial release of GE varieties requires licensing fees.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indigenous TnpB systems eliminate such <\/span><b>IP restrictions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, making GE crop development affordable and scalable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ICAR has been negotiating with Broad Institute and Corteva since July 2025. They permit research use but may charge licensing fees for commercial GE crop cultivation.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has requested fee waivers for small and marginal farmers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/now-desi-gene-editing-technology-to-aid-cheaper-commercial-ge-crop-breeding-10375188\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/allianceforscience.org\/blog\/2022\/05\/gmos-and-gene-editing-whats-the-difference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AFS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India develops a compact TnpB-based genome editing tool as an alternative to CRISPR, enabling cheaper GE crop breeding and reducing foreign IP dependence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":74238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3786,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-74220","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-gene-editing-tech","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}