ISAAA Inc., in partnership with the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA Biotech Program), released the Biotechnology in the Philippines Resource. It serves as a repository of materials that highlight biotechnology applications, regulations, and communication efforts in the Philippines. The Biotechnology in the Philippines Resource includes Biotech Updates articles, blogs, journals, publications, videos, and webinars about the latest developments in Philippine biotechnology, as well as biotech products in the pipeline.

AgResearch, a scientific research center in New Zealand, is expanding research and development initiatives on genetically modified and gene-edited grasses. The center has included clover and endophytes to its research efforts, which initially focused on High Metabolizable Energy (HME) ryegrass. HME ryegrass has completed field trials in the US, but was temporarily withdrawn in Australia because of the complex requirements of the regulators.

Climate change poses significant challenges for global economic development and food systems, particularly for impoverished nations and vulnerable populations. Policymakers are facing a daunting task of designing effective policies to address climate risks and making long-term investment decisions under growing uncertainty. Ideally, governments would have access to advance information about likely/estimated unfolding climate change patterns specific to their regions and the potential implications for their economies and communities

Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) recently released a policy brief titled “Transformation and Future of Aquatic Food Systems in Nigeria” highlighting the untapped potential of aquatic foods in addressing malnutrition and creating jobs in Nigeria. The brief, developed by FMARD in collaboration with the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition

After re-electing QU Dongyu of China for a second term as Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the 43^rd Session of the FAO Conference ended successfully on Friday with decisions to increase the regular budget of the Organization for the next biennium (2024-25) and to strengthen FAO actions and initiatives in integrated water resources management.

Researchers from Duke Health found an enhanced approach to CRISPR that expands its functionality. The finding may lead to safer and more effective techniques for utilizing CRISPR technology as therapy. “CRISPR is great, but there are a lot of places within the human genome that can't be edited well,” said senior author Bruce Sullenger, Ph.D. CRISPR depends on the guide RNA to direct it to the right position on DNA and enable the repair or deletion in that location.

The research team from OIST led by (from left to right): Professor Hidetoshi Saze, Dr. Leonardo Furci, Dr. Jeremy Berthelier, and Munissa Sadykova. Photo Source: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN found that the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana expresses thousands of transcripts between regular genes and jumping genes

A team of experts led by Feng Zhang at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reported the first programmable RNA-guided system in eukaryotic organisms, including plants, animals, and fungi. Their findings are published in Nature. The system's main component is a protein called Fanzor, which uses RNA as a guide to target DNA accurately. Fanzors can also be reprogrammed to edit the genome of human cells.

Researchers, farmers, professors, and students participated in the Current State and Opportunities for Biotechnology in International Trade and Technology Transfer on June 30, 2023. The event was a joint effort among The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with ISAAA Inc., Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Crop Biotechnology Center (CBC), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Integrated management of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources in high- to low-yield cereal production could bring yearly savings in nitrogen fertilizer of over 1 million tons in India, some 90,000 tons in Ethiopia, and more than 20,000 tons in Malawi, according to a new scientific paper, “Spatially differentiated nitrogen supply is key in a global food-fertilizer price crisis.” “Global policies and governments should prioritize nitrogen supplies to low-yield, low-fertility cropping systems, such as smallholder maize and rice farms in Malawi,