- BioHeuris uses two main technologies, HEURIK™ and SWAP™, to develop herbicide-resistant crops through directed evolution and precise gene editing.
- The company collaborates with major partners like Santa Rosa Semillas, Grupo Don Mario, ACA, Tobin, and Adecoagro to enhance crop resilience and sustainability.
- BioHeuris focuses on a range of crops, including soybeans, sorghum, rice, cotton, alfalfa, peanuts, maize, and sunflower, to create sustainable weed management systems.
Agriculture has always been faced with the problem of weed competition that uses water, light, and nutrients to survive in a crop field.
Herbicides have over time been used as the traditional means of keeping weeds under control. However, herbicide resistance among some species makes it difficult for them to be effective.
The efficacy of herbicides is lowered by this kind of resistance thereby jeopardizing the sustainability of farming practices.
As such, there is an imminent need for innovative approaches that can solve these problems while at the same time promoting environmental sustainability.
BioHeuris: Innovating with Synthetic Biology and Gene Editing
BioHeuris was co-founded by Carlos Perez and Lucas Lieber in 2016 to develop next-generation biotechnology tools for empowering farmers through sustainable weed management systems.
Through synthetic biology and gene editing techniques, BioHeuris aims at developing plants that are resistant to chemicals including herbicides thus slowing down the process further of building resilience against them by weeds.
Key Technologies: HEURIK™ and SWAP™
HEURIK™ identifies the mutations responsible for conferring herbicide resistance via directed evolution and rational design.
This high-throughput platform facilitates selection and comparison between various gene variants regarding their efficiency in different microorganisms which gives insights into potential effects on crops.
SWAP™ is a non-GMO platform combining tissue culture protocols with advanced gene editing methods.
By precisely altering plant genomes to create herbicide tolerance, this technology mimics natural evolutionary processes spanning millions of years.
It is through these minute changes that multiple, herbicide-resistant crops may be developed to lessen environmental burden via reduced doses per active ingredient in tank mixes.
Crop Innovations and Strategic Partnerships
The company works on important crops such as sorghum, soybeans, rice, cotton, alfalfa, peanuts maize, and sunflower.
By focusing on such crops, BioHeuris aims to address the unique problems that face each one, from creating drought and heat-resistant sorghum to enhancing cotton quality and yield.
Strategic partnerships play a crucial role in BioHeuris’ success. Collaborations with leading companies like Santa Rosa Semillas, Grupo Don Mario, ACA, Tobin, and Adecoagro help them accelerate the development as well as deployment of their innovative solutions.
Consequently, these links allow for easy integration of their high-end technologies into elite crop lines to bring new and resilient hybrids into the marketplace more effectively.
A Vision for Sustainable Agriculture
BioHeuris is committed to providing farmers with cost-effective and sustainable tools that promote long-term agricultural productivity.
Therefore by combining advanced biotechnology with practical agricultural applications, not only does BioHeuris address immediate weed management challenges but also contributes towards environmental sustainability at large.
Through its innovative platforms and strategic collaborations, BioHeuris is paving the way for a future where agriculture is both productive and sustainable.
Edited By Annette George
