Yield10 Bioscience….announced [August 17] that it has obtained a positive response from USDA-APHIS’s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) for its CRISPR genome-edited trait C3007 in canola plant lines developed for increased oil content.  Yield10’s submission along with the USDA-APHIS BRS response is posted on the USDA’s website.

In June 2020, Yield10 submitted an “Am I regulated?” letter to the BRS, requesting confirmation of the regulatory status for canola plant lines containing the Company’s novel, CRISPR genome-edited C3007 trait. The positive USDA-APHIS response came in the form of a published letter indicating that the plant lines do not meet the definition of a regulated article under 7 CFR Part 340 regulations.

Confirmation of the regulatory status of the plants will enable Yield10 to conduct field tests of CRISPR genome-edited canola plants in the United States in the 2021 growing season.

“Our team successfully engineered CRISPR genome-edited versions of C3007 in canola and now clarified their regulatory status through USDA-APHIS, marking major milestones in our development program to produce new varieties of canola with higher oil content,” said Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Yield10 Bioscience.

“With the deployment of the C3007 trait in canola as an oil boosting trait, we have expanded the portfolio of traits we are developing targeted towards increasing the performance of canola. We are also developing and/or testing the novel traits C3003 and C3004 to increase seed yield in canola. Each of these traits represents different strategies to boost yield in this important North American crop.”

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The CRISPR edited C3007 trait designed to increase oil content could deliver significant economic value for the commercialization of identity preserved, specialty oilseed crops. This is particularly true where the key economic drivers are altered oil compositions with improved nutritional profiles or oils which have been modified for aquaculture feed or industrial markets. These traits may also be used to increase production of edible oils in major oilseed crops including soybean and canola.

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