New RNA-focused agriculture company by Flagship Pioneering could potentially offer a significant approach to mitigating climate change.
In a groundbreaking development, Flagship Pioneering has announced the launch of a new company, Terrana Biosciences, which is set to revolutionise the agricultural sector with its innovative RNA-based technology platform. The platform aims to enhance crop production, protect plants from pests and diseases, and adapt to climate change, all while minimising reliance on conventional chemical inputs.
Terrana's technology leverages the plant's native RNA ecosystem to influence trait expression without altering the genome, offering a transformative alternative to conventional chemical pesticides and genetic modification. The versatile RNA solutions can be applied at any point in a plant's lifecycle, providing farmers with the flexibility to respond in real-time to emerging threats such as pests, diseases, and climate stressors.
One of the key features of Terrana's technology is its natural and sustainable mechanism. The RNA "chassis" used is derived from viruses that plants already tolerate, allowing the RNA molecules to move freely through the plant’s vascular system. Once inside, the RNA replicates, potentially reducing the frequency of applications compared to chemical sprays.
Terrana has also developed structures like hairpins to protect RNA molecules from environmental degradation when sprayed onto leaves, ensuring stability and efficacy under field conditions. This approach avoids genetic modification and the negative environmental impacts commonly associated with chemical pesticides, potentially bypassing regulatory hurdles tied to GMOs.
The platform supports not only disease and pest resistance but also adaptation to climatic variability and soil health maintenance, aiming for a holistic improvement in crop resilience and productivity. Terrana has demonstrated proof of concept in tomatoes, corn, and soy, and generated a pipeline of potential products in specialty and row crops.
Flagship Pioneering has committed an initial $50 million to Terrana for scale-up and development activities. The technology could potentially aid plants in sub-tropical regions that are becoming too hot for historically grown crops and could be a significant way to deal with climate change, giving a buffer to work with plants as permanent solutions to climate change are sought.
For instance, with Terrana's technology, it could be possible to spray plants in the summer to turn down the cold requirement, restoring productivity during warm winters. Cherry orchards in the Pacific Northwest are an example where Terrana's technology could help; they require multiple hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit each winter, and warmer winters are causing issues.
Terrana's first technology class, called "prevent", uses small RNA molecules to teach the plant's immune system to deal with unknown viruses. The "protect" technology platform is designed for treating diseases or exposures to pathogens, delivering peptides or proteins to help the plant protect itself.
Terrana's product persists in the plant, offering the potential for longer-lasting protection compared to existing chemical and biological products. The company is now focusing on scale-up and testing activities for the near term, with the goal of developing products that offer the same level of protection with just one spray per cropping season, reducing the need for multiple sprays currently used in some agricultural practices.
In summary, Terrana Biosciences' RNA-driven, chemical-reducing strategy for crop protection promises to enhance sustainability, adaptability, and effectiveness in modern agriculture, making it a significant step forward in addressing the challenges of climate change and ensuring food security for future generations.
[1] Terrana Biosciences Press Release, 2023 [2] Flagship Pioneering Press Release, 2023 [3] Terrana Biosciences White Paper, 2023 [4] Terrana Biosciences Scientific Publication, 2023 [5] Terrana Biosciences Patent Application, 2023
- The innovative technology developed by Terrana Biosciences, leveraging RNA-based mechanisms, promises to revolutionize the agricultural sector and environmental science, as it offers a sustainable and transformative alternative to conventional chemical inputs in addressing climate change.
- By minimizing reliance on chemical pesticides and genetic modification, Terrana's RNA solutions could potentially reduce the negative environmental impacts typically associated with these practices, paving the way for environmentally-friendly agricultural financing and investing in climate-resilient technologies.
- The versatile RNA-driven technology developed by Terrana Biosciences presents significant opportunities in the field of technology, as it holds the potential to optimize crop production in sub-tropical regions susceptible to climate change, contributing to long-term food security and technological advancements in the agricultural sector.
