Ludhiana: From improving animal traits to strengthening future food security, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Gadvasu) is preparing to take a leap into the fast-evolving world of genome editing.The veterinary university is set to establish a dedicated genome-editing laboratory in collaboration with McGill University and the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. The facility will give researchers specialised infrastructure to make targeted changes to genetic material and study their potential applications in veterinary and animal sciences.Dr RS Sethi, dean, College of Animal Biotechnology, Gadvasu, said a scientist from the university would visit the collaborating institutions in Jan to take the initiative forward. The proposed facility is expected to strengthen the university’s research capabilities in an area increasingly seen as important to the future of food production.The lab builds on nearly six years of collaboration among Gadvasu, McGill University, the University of Saskatchewan and Punjab Agricultural University under Genome Editing for Food Security and Environmental Sustainability (GENFES).Experts associated with the programme believe genome editing could play an increasingly significant role in addressing food-security challenges, particularly at a time when geopolitical uncertainties and changing climatic conditions are putting pressure on global food production.Sethi said the focus was also shifting from merely producing more food to improving its nutritional and nutraceutical value. With food increasingly being viewed as a means of promoting health, he said developing crops and animal products with improved characteristics had assumed greater importance.Genome-editing techniques, however, have to be used in accordance with regulatory frameworks, which vary from country to country. The programme is, therefore, also focusing on training a new generation of scientists in the use of genome-editing tools in plants and animals.Student exchanges among the collaborating universities have been a key part of the initiative, providing young researchers with hands-on training and exposure to advanced techniques. Researchers said such capacity building would help create a pool of scientists equipped to work in this emerging field.Dr Jaswinder Singh of McGill University, who is also director of the programme, said food security had become increasingly important amid volatile geopolitical conditions. Genome editing could have a crucial role in meeting future food-production challenges, while training young researchers would add long-term value to the sector, he said.Highlighting the collaboration’s work, Singh said the programme had contributed to the development of Canada’s first genome-edited oat variety. Canada has a limited crop-sowing window because of its climatic conditions, and the new variety could allow earlier sowing and potentially improve yields.Researchers are also working on genome editing in wheat to address pre-harvest sprouting, in which grains begin germinating before harvest because of unfavourable climatic conditions. The problem can lead to considerable losses in crop quality and yield.Scientists also stressed the need to clearly distinguish genome editing from genetic modification. While conventional genetic modification generally involves introducing foreign genetic material into an organism, genome editing involves making targeted changes to its existing genetic material to alter or improve specific characteristics.
