Corteva Partners with Resurrect Bio to Pioneer AI-Driven Disease-Resistant Corn Hybrids
Corteva, a leader in crop protection, has entered into an innovative joint development agreement with biotech start-up Resurrect Bio. This strategic alliance aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and gene editing technologies to develop disease-resistant corn hybrids, addressing a pressing issue in modern agriculture.
Harnessing AI for Crop Protection
As part of this collaboration, Corteva will utilize Resurrect Bio’s cutting-edge platform to restore the effectiveness of essential genes that have been overcome by evolving plant pathogens. Wendy Srnic, VP of Biotechnology for Corteva, shared insights at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco about the potential of this partnership.
In a significant financial move, Corteva’s corporate venture arm, Corteva Catalyst, participated in Resurrect Bio’s Series A funding round alongside notable firms such as AgFunder and Calculus Capital. Resurrect Bio’s AI-based platform, FloraFold, is designed to predict molecular-level interactions between plant proteins and pathogens.
Addressing Corn Disease Losses
“Diseases are evolving, and so are plants,” explained Srnic. The partnership is timely, as North American corn growers are reportedly losing around 1.28 billion bushels annually to various diseases. Farmers often face uncertainty regarding which diseases may affect their crops each year. However, with gene editing, Corteva aims to create resilient hybrids capable of combating multiple diseases simultaneously.
Srnic elaborated, “In our Genlytix ecosystem, one of our primary targets is disease control. Our initial product focuses on relocating multiple functional genes present in the corn genome to enhance resistance.”
Previous Collaborations and Future Prospects
This initiative follows another collaboration between Corteva and AI start-up Profluent, aimed at developing proteins to enhance the Genlytix research platform. Such partnerships highlight Corteva’s commitment to using advanced technology to innovate in agriculture.
AI Enhancements in Gene Editing
Gene editing has been increasingly recognized as a powerful technique for identifying desirable traits in crops. Srnic emphasized how AI plays a critical role in refining this process. Corteva is employing AI to streamline research and development, significantly improving efficiency.
“AI has enabled us to broaden our hypotheses and filter out less promising ones,” she explained. “In multiple projects, we’ve been able to achieve specific changes in proteins much more quickly than traditional methods would allow, often in less than a year.”
Conclusion
The partnership between Corteva and Resurrect Bio represents a forward-thinking approach to tackle the challenges posed by plant diseases. By combining AI with gene editing, they are poised to revolutionize corn production, ensuring greater yields and a more resilient agricultural landscape.
