Researchers in the University of Oxford's Department of Biology and Wild Bioscience Ltd are to receive backing of a £6.7 million grant from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) to pioneer a new synthetic biology approach which promises to improve yields in potato and wheat.
Established by the UK Parliament in January 2023 and sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, ARIA is an R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. The ARIA Synthetic Plants programme , led by Programme Director Angie Burnett, will catalyse a new generation of major crops that are more productive, resilient, and sustainable to help future-proof our agricultural system.
Oxford Plastid Transformation for an Improved Sustainable Economy (OPTIMiSE): a revolution in plastid engineering for sustainable agricultural production
This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase how DNA design leverages natural plant evolution to guide crop improvement in the context of climate change.
Professor Francesco Licausi , Department of Biology, University of Oxford
The OPTIMiSE project is an ambitious research effort aimed at transforming agriculture to address one of humanity's most pressing challenges: producing enough food for a growing population while adapting to climate change and reducing environmental impacts.
The project is combining the research expertise of Professor Steve Kelly and Professor Francesco Licausi from the Department of Biology, with Professor Chris O'Callaghan from the Nuffield Department of Medicine and industry scientists from Wild Bioscience Ltd . This interdisciplinary project will focus on developing new ways to make crops more productive and more resilient to stress. These advancements are urgently needed as conventional approaches to improving crops are unable to keep pace with the twin pressures of increasing demand and climate change.
One of the most exciting aspects of this project is its focus on the part of the plant genome present in the chloroplast (also called the plastid), rather than the nucleus. Although the chloroplast genome is a relatively small part of the plant's DNA, it is vital for many important processes such as photosynthesis, stress tolerance, and nutrient efficiency.
Wheat plants growing in Wild Bio's facilities. Credit: Wild Bio.Until now, the chloroplast genome has been inaccessible to traditional plant breeding methods, which has left its full potential untapped. OPTIMiSE aims to change that by using cutting-edge DNA assembly technology developed in Professor Chris O'Callaghan's laboratory to create precision chloroplast genomes built using naturally occurring genetic variants.
Professor O'Callaghan said of the technology: 'Previous research in my lab on DNA assembly now makes it possible to generate a complete chloroplast genome in vitro. This allows us to build new genomes that include multiple genetic variants that have already arisen in nature and that convey beneficial properties.'
By transferring the precision designed chloroplast genome into plants like potatoes and wheat (both in the top three crops consumed globally), the researchers hope to unlock dramatic increases in productivity and resilience. This breakthrough could allow farmers to grow more food with fewer resources, even under tough conditions such as drought or extreme heat.
Ross Hendron of Wild Bio holding a precision bred wheat plant. Photo credit: Tom Allen-Stevens for Direct Driller magazine.Professor Francesco Licausi, who will use DNA transformation approaches to enable complete chloroplast genome replacement in potato, says: 'This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase how DNA design leverages natural plant evolution to guide crop improvement in the context of climate change.'
The project will focus on creating enhanced potato plants with synthetic chloroplast genomes. These improvements are designed to meet strict regulatory standards, aligning with international definitions of "precision bred organisms" rather than genetically modified crops, making them more acceptable to farmers and policymakers worldwide. The team then plans to extend this technology to wheat, one of the most important global food crops. Ultimately, the project aims to set the stage for applying these techniques to other crops.
We're excited to partner with ARIA and Oxford University to unlock the full potential of chloroplast engineering... This blending of government-backing, world-leading science, and frontier startup innovation represents the ideal collaboration model for driving agricultural breakthroughs for the UK, and ultimately, the planet.
Dr Ross Hendron, CEO of Wild Bioscience Ltd
Professor Steve Kelly said: 'This project will deliver plants that align with multiple international definitions on precision bred organisms. The "designer" aspect of these crops harnesses the enormous genetic potential in the wider crop gene pool. This means that the changes we are making are already tried and tested by nature. We are pioneering a new way to turbo charge the process of combining this natural variation in the same plant using a regulation-friendly approach - unlocking a new way to help achieve a global revolution in sustainable agriculture.'
If successful, the impact of OPTIMiSE could be transformative. Enhanced potato and wheat varieties could pave the way for a new era of sustainable agriculture, where crops are better equipped to meet the demands of a changing climate. By combining groundbreaking science with a focus on real-world implementation with the support of Wild Bioscience Ltd, and focusing on traits that are purposefully designed to be aligned with global guidelines on precision bred organisms, the advancements made in this project will have the best possible chance of rapid translation to global impact. Wild Bioscience Ltd will perform the latter stages of the project to develop the tools for delivering chloroplast engineering into additional crops, with an initial focus on wheat.
Dr Ross Hendron, CEO of Wild Bioscience Ltd, says of the project: 'We're excited to partner with ARIA and Oxford University to unlock the full potential of chloroplast engineering. Wild Bio's sophisticated crop development platform will help supercharge this project to advance discoveries from the lab into crops in the field. This blending of government-backing, world-leading science, and frontier startup innovation represents the ideal collaboration model for driving agricultural breakthroughs for the UK, and ultimately, the planet.'
Further information can be found on the ARIA website .
