Project PROGRESS: Precision and Optimisation of Genome Editing for Resilient Crops

Genome editing allows the targeted modification of plant genes. This involves targeting a specific site in a gene with molecular scissors, cutting the DNA strand at this point and then repairing this cut using the cell's own repair mechanisms. However, this allows the location of the genetic change to be precisely controlled, while the result, i.e. the resulting genetic sequence, is left to a certain randomness. The simpler applications of genome editing usually result in small deletions or insertions, i.e. individual letters are lost or added during the repair of the DNA cut. This means that genes can be switched off very efficiently, but their function cannot be precisely altered. PROGRESS aims to make genome editing even more precise based on a previously little-used DNA repair mechanism and to make existing developments more efficient by improving the gRNA.