ISAAA Inc. and its partner organizations conducted the 5th Asian Short Course on Agribiotech, Biosafety Regulation, and Communication (ASCA5) from November 7 to 11, 2022 in Manila, Philippines. The workshop is a capacity building initiative by ISAAA Inc. and MABIC that was started in 2018 to create a platform for Asian scientists and regulators to be competent in the regulations and policies related to biotechnology.

A research team at Rice University led by bioengineer Gang Bao is working to reveal potential threats to the efficacy and safety of therapies based on CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique, even as they appear to be working as planned. Bao's group point out in a paper published in Science Advances that while off-target edits to DNA have long been a cause for concern, unseen changes that accompany on-target edits also need to be recognized and quantified.

A team of researchers from California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, reported that broad-spectrum CRISPR-Cas13a enables efficient phage genome editing. Their study is published in Nature Microbiology. CRISPR-Cas13 defend against incoming RNA and DNA phages by binding to complementary target phage transcripts followed by general, non-specific RNA degradation.

Farmers worldwide have been applying nitrogen fertilizers to boost crop yields, but excessive use could have an impact on the environment. Thus, improving crop nitrogen efficiency is vital for yield increase and environmental protection. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is one of the model crops used to study abiotic stress resistance in crops. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in nitrogen use efficiency in foxtail millet remain elusive.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) has published the Scientific Opinion on the safety of genetically modified herbicide tolerant oilseed rape GT73 for placing on the market of isolated seed protein for food under Regulation (EC) No. 1829/2003. Application EFSA-GMO-RX-026/2 was submitted by the Bayer Group for the modification of the terms of the authorization regarding the placing on the market of isolated seed protein from oilseed rape GT73 for food.

Researchers from the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, used CRISPR-Cas9 to knockdown vacuolar invertase (VInv) gene, which resulted to reduced cold-storage sugar formation and sweetening in potatoes. The findings are published in Planta. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockdown of VInv gene was carried out using two sgRNAs in local cultivar of potato plants. The mRNA expression of VInv gene was reduced 90–99-fold in edited potato plants, in comparison with the non-edited potato plant.

Forty-four sorghum scientists representing public and private institutions from Asia and the Americas visited ICRISAT headquarters to participate in a field day that had 2100 unique hybrid products and 5000 breeding lines of varieties on display. Dr Sean Mayes, Research Program Director-Accelerated Crop Improvement, called for increased private-sector participation to take advantage of the benefits of the Sorghum Hybrid Parents Research Consortium (SHPRC). He encouraged the participants to disseminate the benefits of SHPRC through their respective networks and to credit ICRISAT for its material when used in their released variety/hybrid.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), through the Water-efficient and risk-mitigation technologies for enhancing rice production in irrigated and rainfed environments (WateRice) project with the support of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) -  Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), conducted a virtual webinar on laser land leveling and mechanical transplanting on Zoom.

The Economist examines the implications of the Black Sea Grain Deal suspension, looking at how Putin's attempt at grain blackmail highlights a wider problem: food supplies are often disrupted by men with guns. “Indeed, of the 828m people who do not get enough food, nearly 60% live in countries racked by conflict. Armed violence is the single greatest obstacle to ending hunger, says the UN’s World Food Programme.” 

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today conveyed his deep appreciation to HM King Charles III for his long-standing commitment to tackling the climate crisis and global hunger at a pre-COP 27 Reception, hosted by His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) will be held from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.