Durham, North Carolina, USA and Paris, France
March 10, 2026
Background
Conventional plant breeding is hitting diminishing returns, with roughly one-quarter of beneficial genes inaccessible due to suppressed recombination in cold regions of the genome, such as pericentromeric domains. These genetic blind spots limit access to traits from wild relatives and uncharacterized causal genes — traits increasingly needed to withstand climate resilience and boost productivity.
Challenge
● Traditional breeding methods can’t reliably unlock cold recombination regions.
● Many beneficial traits remain out of reach, slowing genetic gain.
● Breeding timelines and costs are stretched at a time when food security requires acceleration.
Solution
Meiogenix developed a targeted recombination platform that precisely directs meiotic recombination to previously inaccessible genomic regions.
● Technology: dCas-SPO11 recruits the meiotic recombination complex to user-defined loci, enabling domain swaps between parental chromosomes.
● Outcome: Local recombination without genomic mutations.
● AI Integration: Proprietary algorithms identify the optimal genomic sites for targeted recombination.
Proof of Concept
● Rice: ~3.2-fold increase in recombination on chromosome 7; heritable transmission demonstrated.
● Tomato: Opened up complex genetics to improve drought and disease resistance
● Corn: Achieved 10x increase in targeted recombination of genetic potential in corn
Results
● Trait and crop agnostic: Platform applicable across species and genetic targets.
● Validated across three strategic crops: rice, tomato, corn.
● IP strength: Robust portfolio protecting technology and applications.
● Regulatory clarity: Straightforward path for deployment.
Impact
Meiogenix provides a new inflection point in breeding, enabling access to novel trait diversity, accelerating variety development, and supporting food security with climate-resilient crops.
Topics
Species
