The future is already here: more nutritious crops, resistant to diseases or better adapted to drought

• BIOVEGEN, the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP-CSIC) and Cajamar, managed to schedule more than 400 bilateral contacts between businessmen and scientists at the conference held yesterday in Valencia to develop biotechnological projects
• During the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture recognizes its satisfaction with the recent approval by the European Parliament of the Brussels proposal on New Genomic Techniques (NGT's) and reports on “progress” in the negotiation with the Council
• The IBMCP exhibits the potential of its facilities, the advanced nature of the projects it is already developing with CRISPR and its great short-term perspectives in synthetic biology, computational biology or molecular sensors to impact the agri-food sector.

Improved crops, more productive and nutritious, with other organoleptic properties and adapted to drought; new possibilities for industry and distribution to reduce food waste; varieties with genes that incorporate resistance to pests or diseases so that all this facilitates the transition from a chemical agriculture to a more biological one... The future is already present, it is already here and it comes hand in hand with the possibilities provided, especially, by the New Genomic Techniques (NGT's) and advances in biotechnology in general. This was revealed yesterday during a day that brought together more than 300 researchers, businessmen and professionals from the agri-food sector at the Polytechnic City of Innovation of Valencia (of the UPV). The meeting organized by the platform dedicated to the promotion of these technologies in agriculture, BIOVEGEN, by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP-CSIC) -one of the reference centers in its development- and CAJAMAR -so significant for its support for agricultural innovation - made it possible to establish more than 400 bilateral contacts between suppliers and demanders of biotechnologies for the development of this type of projects. Furthermore, it served to confirm the great expectations raised after the approval, on February 7 by the European Parliament, of the European Commission (EC) proposal to regulate the aforementioned NGT's "after more than 20 years with the same restrictive regulatory framework." ”.

Ana Judith Martín de la Fuente. Secretary of the Interministerial Council of OMG of the MAP. General Subdirectorate of Agricultural Means of Production and OEVV.

This is how Ana Judith Martín introduced the issue, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture who, during the Spanish presidency of the EU in the second half of 2023, was in charge of leading the technical file to promote this decisive future European regulation. As he clarified at the start of the day, today all plants obtained through NGT's (among which CRISPR or genetic editing stands out) are subject to the same regulation as any Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), that is, to a directive 2001. However, and as was also highlighted in the successive presentations given afterwards, there are great differences between edited plants and GMOs. Compared to an original, unmodified organism, those produced by NGT may have small changes in their genetic code that could also occur in nature or through conventional breeding. The difference is that these techniques to 'edit' genes and induce these changes are now more precise, powerful, better directed and allow the improvement processes to be made cheaper and shorter, from decades to years. “We went to great lengths to promote this regulation and, beyond the Parliament's pronouncement, I believe that we have also made progress in the negotiation with the European Council,” said Martín.

Laura Zacarés, head of Technology Transfer at the IBMCP-CSIC, had presented moments before the capabilities of this center to focus the development of these NGT's but also other emerging fields such as synthetic biology, computational biology, biological chemistry or in areas such as Molecular sensor technology for the benefit of the agricultural sector, the food industry and health (animal, plant and human). With a background of 35 years, 220 employees, 7,000 square meters of its own laboratories and another 4,200 of greenhouses and cultivation chambers, the “IBMCP wants to be one of the driving forces for the innovation to which the European Green Deal directs us – now under review -, the climate emergency, legislative pressure and consumers' own demands," said Zacarés.

Laura Zacares. Head of Technology Transfer at the IBMCP and Innovation Agent at the AVI.

And from words he immediately moved on to actions. Successive IBMCP researchers gave an account to the businessmen present of the advances already achieved thanks to CRISPR and that could soon crystallize into new initiatives and projects for the production of high-value molecules for the renewable energy sector (biofuels); obtaining phytonutrients and biostimulants with antioxidant properties; the control of flowering in crops to adapt to climatic or productive demands or the generation of male-sterile parents (without pollen) to facilitate the hybridization process of plants, reducing costs and time; the development of highly specific, RNA-based vaccines that can be applied to plants without resorting to transgenesis for the control of viral diseases instead of phytosanitary products...

There was also time to confirm and bear witness to how biotechnology is being applied in the world of agri-food business in successive cases of success: in Anecoop – the largest fruit and vegetable cooperative in the country, with 998 million euros in turnover and more than 22,000 associated farmers. - for the selection of varieties most suitable for late mandarins, kiwis or persimmons; at Importaco - the Spanish nuts giant, with 2,300 employees, 17 factories and 815 million in turnover - which has obtained results that improve the micronutrients present in its pistachios, cashews or macadamia nuts, to avoid allergic reactions or to enhance its properties as a probiotic; at RIJK ZWAAN - one of the largest breeders of horticultural varieties in the world - which, among many other improved varieties, has obtained and markets cucumbers with a higher content of potassium, magnesium, sugar, vitamin K and water than isotonic drinks, or beans with more vitamin A and carotenoids than the rest of the varieties of this crop.

Gallery

Program

• 9:30 a.m. Reception of attendees and welcome coffee.
• 10:00 a.m. Opening of the Day.
  • Pablo Vera. Director, IBMCP.
  • José Manuel Enriquez. Agri-Food and Cooperative Business Manager DT Valencia.
  • José Pellicer. President, BIOVEGEN.
• 10:20 a.m. IBMCP: Creating the future of agriculture together.
  • Laura Zacares. Technology Transfer Manager, IBMCP and Innovation Agent, AVI.
• 10:40 a.m. Situation in legislation and regulations for NGTs.
  • Ana Judith Martín de la Fuente. Secretary of the Interministerial Council of OMG. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. General Subdirectorate of Agricultural Means of Production and OEVV.
• 11:00 a.m. Towards a new generation of treatments.Moderator: Carlos Baixauli, CAJAMAR.
  • Natural compounds as an alternative to synthetic compounds to increase efficiency in crops. Lison Purification, IBMCP.
  • Discovery of drugs to improve drought tolerance of crops. Jorge Lozano –Juste, IBMCP.
  • RNA-based virus vaccines.  Alberto Carbonell, IBMCP
  • Biostimulants based on natural compounds. Angela Borrás, PLYMAG.
• 12:00 p.m. New more efficient and nutritious varieties.Moderator: David Lapuente, BIOVEGEN.
  • Applications of Synthetic Plant Biology. Diego Orzáez, IBMCP.
  • Improvement of the nutritional quality of plant products. Manuel Rodríguez Concepción, IBMCP.
  • Importaco: bioavailability of nutrients in nuts. Amparo Devesa, IMPORTACO.
  • New, more nutritious crop varieties. Bernardo Cuenca, RIJK ZWAAN.
• 1:00 p.m. Cocktail and networking
• 3:00 p.m. Sustainability in the production chain.Moderator: Jaume Martínez, IBMCP.
  • Zero residue crops. Francisco José Escaray, IBMCP.
  • Valorization of byproducts for use as biostimulants. José Miguel Mulet, IBMCP.
  • Disease-resistant plants to reduce pesticide use. José Antonio Darós, IBMCP.
  • How biotechnology can help increase sustainability in the field. Victoria Ibáñez and Nicolás Juste, ANECOOP.
  • Agroparc: Sustainable production chain “from field to table”. Joan Simó, Ametller.
• 4:00 p.m. Open innovation and technology transfer. Moderator: Laura Zacarés, IBMCP.
  • BIOVEGEN as an example of an open innovation ecosystem. Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, Manager at BIOVEGEN.
  • Cajamar Innova. Juan Carlos Gázquez Garrido, Deputy Director of High Technology Business Incubator in Water, Cajamar Foundation.
  • Round table: Accelerating and creating the future of the sector through open innovation and technology transfer.
    • AVI-Valencian Innovation Agency. Victoria Gómez Galdón, Head of the IVACE + i innovation unit.
    • AVA ASAJA. Carlos Montesinos, Innovation Agent and Project Manager.
    • MADEINPLANT. Federico Grau, CEO.
    • SWANLAAB. Nora Alonso, partner and investment director of the Agri-Food Tech Fund.
    • BIOVAL. Jesús Agüero, Director of BIOVAL and Innovation Agent.
• 5:15 p.m. Closure
  • Laura Martí Barranco, Deputy Director General of Innovation Programs at IVACE+i.
  • Javier Bartolome, Autonomous Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.