Precision BioSciences and Nova Synthetix team to take the ricin out of castor

In New York state, Precision BioSciences and Nova Synthetix announced a deal for the use of each other’s technologies to generate “non-GM,” ricin-free castor plants.

Precision Bio’s Directed Nuclease Editor gene editing technology and Nova’s proprietary plant transformation system will be used in work covered by the agreement. The DNE technology produces genome-editing enzymes that can “insert, remove, modify, and regulate essentially any gene in mammalian or plant cells,” the firms noted in a statement.

The companies also plan to generate improved castor variants “capable of producing user-defined oil profiles for industrial, biofuel, and feed-directed applications,” they said. The effort is anticipated to produce a castor plant that is safer and has greater market use.