Mars & Pairwise: Gene Editing for More Sustainable Cocoa
Mars is partnering with Pairwise to accelerate cacao research and development in order to combat supply chain issues.
Using Pairwise's Fulcrum gene editing tools, Mars will be able to tackle agricultural challenges and increase crop production.
Pairwise's work has already seen a 72% success rate in targeted crop improvements.
About Pairwise
Pairwise is a biotechnology research company founded in 2017 by scientific visionaries whose work in CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology shaped genome editing and its work with agriculture.
The company was formed with the idea of making plants easier to grow in order to build a healthier world, using science and technology to improve crop growth.
The Pairwise Fulcrum platform uses gene-editing tools developed by Pairwise, artificial intelligence (AI) and a wealth of expertise from the team.
Fulcrum was built to allow for precise genome editing for agriculture and is already used globally to aid with the development of new plant traits and plant varieties.
The aim was to help plant scientists, breeding companies and agricultural research programmes speed up their processes, ensuring it was compatible with a diverse range of crops, precision and finely-tuned gene expression.
Mars is a global company which has dedicated itself to responsible practices to have a positive impact on the world.
The company is best known for its snacking brands Snickers, M&Ms and Twix.
Now, the global giant has licensed Pairwise's Fulcrum to help with cacao research and development.
Supply chain optimisation
The licensing agreement allows Mars to use Pairwise's CRISPR tools in its research.
In particular, the Fulcrum platform uses the SHARC enzyme to develop new products.
Through using Pairwise Fulcrum, Mars will have access to gene editing tools, enzymes and trait libraries, which will allow Mars to modify the cacao plant in order to access its full potential.
Traditional crop breeding methods take years and can result in poor yields, but with this new technology, Mars will be able to choose optimal crop traits for the best results.
"At Mars, we believe CRISPR has the potential to improve crops in ways that support and strengthen global supply chains," says Carl Jones, Plant Sciences Director at Mars.
"Our focus is to transparently and responsibly conduct CRISPR research in plant science that helps crops better adapt to climate challenges, disease pressures and resource constraints."
Due to poor harvests and growing climate impacts, cocoa prices have been consistently reaching new highs.
Around 70% of global cocoa is grown in West Africa, but periods of drought, ageing trees and disease has meant crop yield has been lacking.
Many companies are now looking at more sustainable supply chains for cocoa, but Mars is taking this one step further with its genetic modification.
This will enable a more reliable supply of cacao, as it will grow faster and be able to adapt to other pressures.
Sustainable growth
Numerous crops around the world are facing issues due to climate threats, but traditional growth takes too long to be able to make up for lessened yields.
Cacao trees take three to five years to grow and be able to produce cocoa pods, so by the time they reach full maturity, the yield to make up would be even larger.
The gene-editing techniques used by Pairwise and Mars will see a much faster testing of new plant varieties, which will find the most optimal and sustainable method.
"We're pleased to provide Mars with access to our Fulcrum platform for their cacao research and development initiatives," adds Ian Miller, Chief Operating Officer at Pairwise.
"Plant breeding innovation has the potential to help address important agricultural challenges, and we look forward to supporting Mars' research goals."
