Pairwise, the CRISPR gene-editing company built on row crops like corn and soybeans, is now finding its fastest growth elsewhere. As AgFunderNews’ Elaine Watson reports, the company has quietly built a licensing business spanning 25 companies and more than 30 species, from cherries and cacao to livestock and insects.

One License, Many CropsPairwise’s Fulcrum platform bundles DNA targeting, gene deletion, and base editing into one agreement, sparing licensees from stacking separate patents. “You don’t have to get multiple licenses. We’re offering one-stop shopping,” said Ian Miller, Pairwise’s chief operating officer.

Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter.SIGN UPRecent partners include Mars (cacao), Sun World International (pitless cherries, a project the SLP has followed), CSIRO (livestock and aquaculture), and IITA (yam breeding in Africa). Miller also credits friendlier rules abroad, including Europe’s simplified framework for gene-edited plants: “I think there’s an understanding that in many cases, what comes out from gene editing is equivalent to conventional breeding.”

With roughly as many prospects still in talks, Pairwise is betting CRISPR’s next big payoff comes from crops the ag biotech industry has long overlooked.

| | Related on the SLP CRISPR pitless cherries are on the horizon |

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