Bioheuris uses gene editing and synthetic biology to revolutionize weed management

Argentine agro biotech startup BioHeuris is making strides in using gene editing and synthetic biology to revolutionize weed management and reduce herbicide use.

Carlos Pérez, co-founder and director of the company, presented these innovations at the Santa Fe Business Forum in Argentina.

Gene editing does not introduce a new gene but rather modifies a nucleotide of the natural gene already present in the plant. According to the company, this process occurs naturally in plants. However, in the laboratory, this process is accelerated, accomplishing in months what nature might take a decade to achieve.

According to Pérez, BioHeuris aims to develop seed technologies that enable better weed management. He clarifies that chemical control should alternate herbicides at the lowest possible dose within the recommended range and use low-toxicity herbicides.

However, the company director added that some products combining these features also affect crops, such as soybeans. Therefore, the solution is to develop transgenic soybeans that can withstand these low-toxicity herbicides at lower doses, resulting in reduced environmental impact.

BioHeuris's approach uses gene editing and synthetic biology to confer resistance to soybeans, sorghum, rice, and cotton. During the event, Carlos Pérez introduced the HEURIK™ platform. "We use directed protein evolution strategies and rational target site design to identify mutations that confer herbicide resistance in crops," he explained.

The BioHeuris co-founder also presented the SWAP™ platform, which doesn't use transgenics. Instead, it combines in vitro culture protocols with cutting-edge gene editing techniques to precisely introduce changes that confer herbicide resistance to plants.

"With our technology, we can programmatically optimize plant genes without introducing DNA from other species. The improvements we make can be achieved with small precise changes in the genome that are genetically indistinguishable from those produced by thousands of years of natural evolution. Our high-throughput platform allows us to select genetic variants and compare their efficiency in microbial systems, anticipating their effect," he explained.

The executive revealed that the technology is already being tested in rice and sorghum fields in Brazil and the United States. While not yet in the commercial phase, they have passed technical and regulatory challenges. 

"We obtained approval from CONABIA (National Advisory Commission for Agricultural Biotechnology) in Argentina and similar approvals in countries like the United States, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia," Pérez said. 

BioHeuris projects these rice and sorghum varieties will be available in the market by 2026 or 2027.

The company, which has 19 employees, maintains a main laboratory in Argentina and another in Saint Louis, United States. According to them, investors are welcome. Currently, the business monetizes itself through partnerships with seed companies.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)