The course is a capacity building initiative of ISAAA Inc. and the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC). It was first organized in 2018 as a platform for Asian scientists and regulators to be more competent in the regulations and policies related to biotechnology. Since then, the short course has been offered to promote strong collaboration among key biotechnology stakeholders for science and regulation to co-evolve and bring the benefits of modern biotechnology to society, while reducing its potential risks.

This is an area where "the FAO Investment Centre is leading that charge," QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), wrote in the foreword of the 2022 Annual Review of the Centre, which for nearly 60 years has been helping countries and financing partners make more and better agrifood investments to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition, improve rural livelihoods and protect the environment.

Scientists from Chris Richardson's lab at UC Santa Barbara reported a new method that boosts the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9 editing without needing a viral material to transport the template that edits the target gene sequence. Their study is published in Nature Biotechnology. Viruses are often used to deliver the repair template DNA to the cell's nucleus. While viruses are effective, viral overflows are pricey, difficult to scale, and could be toxic to cells.

Scientists from the University of San Diego published the results of their proof-of-concept study that demonstrated how a cell can last longer by genetically rewiring its circuits that control aging. The findings can be useful in medical research, as the study's aim is to extend the life of cells within organisms to prevent degenerative diseases. Using computer simulations, the researchers studied how cells follow a sequence of molecular changes from their existence until they degenerate and die.

Dr. Alison Bentley, Director of the Global Wheat Programme at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), has been hailed as the 2023 Borlaug CAST Communication Award recipient. The award was granted by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), an international consortium of scientific and professional societies, universities, companies, nonprofits, libraries, and individuals.

Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) Australia have sequenced the genome of the Australian round lime, also known as the Gympie lime, in an effort to identify a gene that provides resistance to Huanglongbing (HLB) or 'citrus greening'. The comprehensive map of the genome of the Gympie lime, a native lime species that is resistant to citrus greening, could be the key to preventing that disease from entering Australia.

In Australia, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) seeks the approval of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) for commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) banana plants modified for resistance to Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, also known as Panama disease. QUT does not intend to replace the current Cavendish banana growing in Australia with the GM banana plants, but rather to provide a safety net to the country's banana industry should it be heavily impacted by Panama disease.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) recently completed the Global Audit Process implemented by Excellence Through Stewardship (ETS), a globally-recognized non-profit organization that advocates management best practices for biotechnology-derived products worldwide. “This successful audit by ETS reflects the institute’s strong and continued commitment to the highest standards of responsible stewardship and quality management of agricultural biotechnology products and its related processes and technologies

Two of Belgium’s top agricultural research institutes are collaborating with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to launch a new climate adaptation initiative in Mali that aims to safeguard sorghum yield – a crop that millions depend on for food and income in the West African nation. The Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) and the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) along with the Mali Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER) and the Agene Nationale de la Meteorologie (Mali-METEO), launched the ‘StratAdapt-Mali’ project on the 4th of April 23.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), and the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on May 16, to propel a new era in groundwater augmentation across seven districts in Maharashtra using a landscape approach. Mr Chintamani Joshi (IAS), Commissioner of GSDA, expressed his enthusiasm about collaborating with a world-class organization like ICRISAT.