Precise genome editing tools for improving agronomic traits in vegetable crops
Advanced CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing services for vegetable crops using base editors and prime editors to achieve single or multiple nucleotide substitutions, deletions, and insertions. Enables production of transgene-free, gene-edited vegetables with improved quality, yield, disease resistance, and stress tolerance for field trials and commercial applications.
Overview
This offering leverages advanced CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing tools to introduce precise genetic modifications in vegetable crops, including single or multiple nucleotide substitutions, deletions, and insertions. The approach combines indel prediction, homology-dependent repair, base editing, and prime editing to develop transgene-free vegetables with improved agronomic traits such as superior quality, higher yield, disease resistance, and abiotic stress tolerance. These precisely edited crops are positioned for field trials and commercial deployment under favorable regulatory frameworks for gene-edited products.
Technical specifications
Editing tools and capabilities:
- Base editors and prime editors for single or multiple nucleotide changes, achieving up to 40-50% editing efficiency in cereal crops such as rice
- CRISPR/Cas systems for targeted insertions and deletions
- Homology-dependent repair for precise gene modifications
- Chromosomal inversion capabilities (up to 2 Mb, though at lower efficiency)
Crop experience:
- Demonstrated success in tomato, potato, tobacco, rice, and fungi
- Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocols for solanaceous and cruciferous vegetables
- Transient expression approaches for clonally propagated plants to produce transgene-free edited crops
Track record:
- One of the first CRISPR/Cas plant genome editing publications (August 2013)
- Produced transgene-free, gene-edited commercial US rice cultivar with improved agronomic traits ready for field trials
- First gene-edited mushroom used as a USDA regulatory test case for gene-edited crops in 2016
- Team includes a postdoctoral researcher with 7 years of plant genome editing experience and a senior technician with 20 years of plant transformation experience
Technology readiness level
The underlying technologies have been validated through peer-reviewed publications and demonstrated across multiple crop species over the past decade. Base editing and prime editing have achieved 40-50% editing efficiency in rice, and the lab has produced gene-edited rice cultivars ready for field trials. The gene-edited mushroom previously served as a regulatory precedent for USDA approval of gene-edited crops. The technology is ready for application to new vegetable crop targets, with established protocols for transformation and editing in solanaceous and cruciferous plant families.
About Penn State University
Penn State University is a comprehensive public land‑grant research university with a large multi‑campus footprint across Pennsylvania. Industry engages through a research and technology park adjacent to the flagship campus that houses corporate R&D, co‑located labs, and flexible collaboration space, as well as a statewide extension network that enables field testing, demonstration, and workforce reach. Integration with a major hospital system supports clinical translation, and an applied research laboratory fosters mission‑driven partnerships with government and industry sponsors. Research is supported by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NSF, NIH, DOE, USDA, DoD, and NASA. A dedicated technology transfer office manages IP, licensing, and startup formation to accelerate commercialization.
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