Regional platform for plant and animal gene editing

Regional Workshop “Gene editing in crops and livestock for Latin America and the Caribbean - FONTAGRO"

Context of the story

Plant and animal genetic improvement has evolved throughout history hand in hand with new technologies or methodologies at different times, in the case of plant breeding: statistics, cytogenetics, mutations, in vitro cultivation, genetic transformation, editing genetics, marker-assisted selection, genomics, phenomics, and bioinformatics. Regarding animals, advances include techniques such as artificial insemination, embryo sexing, cloning, genetic transformation, gene editing, marker-assisted selection, genomics, phenomics and bioinformatics. Gene editing offers the possibility of obtaining improved cultivars quickly by modifying their genomes precisely.

Workshop

The implemented initiative

During the XXII annual meeting of the Board of Directors of FONTAGRO, a need for forming a regional platform on issues of gene editing in the agricultural and livestock sector was expressed. As a result of this discussion, it was agreed to hold a workshop called “Gene editing in crops and livestock for Latin America and the Caribbean-FONTAGRO”. The workshop was held in Bogotá from October 16 to 18, 2019 with the participation of speakers and participants from 7 countries, where presentations included the state of gene editing technology by invited experts, both animal and vegetable, and participation of public official entities and private companies.

Regional R+D+ i proposal in gene editing

The technological solution

The main goal of the workshop was to define the final version of the consensual project formulated for the creation of a platform for gene editing in crops and livestock for Latin America and the Caribbean and to analyze the state of gene editing in the region.