China's first plant gene editing safety certificate issued

On 28 April, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issuedthe “Approval list of biosafety certificates for gene editing in agriculture (appliedto production) in 2023”. This was the first time in China to issue a geneediting biosafety certificate and the applicant company is Shandong BellaGenBiotechnology Co., Ltd. (BellaGen Biotechnology).

Table: Biosafetycertificates for gene editing in agriculture (applied to production) in 2023

Source: MARA

The product that has obtained the gene editing safetycertificate this time is improved by BellaGen Biotechnology through gene editingtechnology, which increases the oleic acid content of ordinary soybeans to 4times without affecting the oil yield and protein content and effectivelyreduces the content of soybean trans fatty acids, thereby lowering cholesterol andblood lipids.

The announcement of the first gene editing biosafetycertificate has enabled domestic industry-university-research institutions tosee more possibilities in the field of agricultural gene editing. With thegradual implementation of gene editing-related policies, the situation of “lagmanagement and blank application” of gene editing technology in China willgradually change.

About BellaGen Biotechnology

Founded by academician Zhu Jianjian’s team, BellaGen Biotechnology is the first company in China to carry out the industrial operation ofplant gene editing, focusing on the development of gene editing technology andits industrial application in the fields of agricultural biological breeding,genetic testing, and medical treatment. The company owns CRISPR Cas SF01 andCRISPR Cas SF02, the underlying tools for gene editing.

According to the introduction of BellaGenBiotechnology, the company has obtained 7 patent authorizations for gene editingscissors, becoming the first enterprise in the country to have a patentauthorization for gene editing scissors.

In Aug. 2022, BellaGen Biotechnology opened theauthorization channel for gene editing core technology and provided patentlicensing and technical solutions for an American company, realizing the firstexport of the country’s gene editing core technology.

So far, BellaGen Biotechnology has deployed four majorproduct R&D lines around gene editing technology

² High-yield rice, wheat, and corn

² Herbicide-resistant rice and soybean

² Starch corn and rice suitable for industrial processing

² High-GABA tomato and high-vitamin C lettuce