Pairwise es la principal potencia de CRISPR para plantas de la agricultura

Pairwise, a global innovator in agriculture, today announced a licensing agreement with Ball® Horticultural Company (Ball), one of the world’s leading ornamental plant breeders and distributors, granting Ball access to Pairwise’s Fulcrum® genome editing platform. The agreement includes a commercial option that would allow Ball to bring edited ornamental varieties to the global market.

Ball will integrate Fulcrum® tools into its research and development pipeline to create ornamental varieties with improved sustainability, performance, and consumer appeal. The license covers a broad range of Ball’s core crop portfolio, including roses, impatiens, petunias, hydrangeas, dianthus, begonias, and more than 40 other ornamental species. It marks the first application of Fulcrum® technology in ornamental crops, bringing precision genome editing to a multi-billion-dollar global market.

“Genome editing has the potential to reshape what’s possible in ornamental breeding,” said Jason Jandrew, Chief Research and Development Officer of Ball Horticultural Company. “We’re excited about what the intersection of our deep knowledge of genetics and traditional breeding, coupled with advanced technologies like Fulcrum®, can bring to delight our customers and serve our mission to color the world.”

“Pairwise built Fulcrum® to empower innovators across all of plant science, and Ball Horticultural Company is exactly the kind of partner we envisioned when we designed the platform for broad applicability,” said Dr. Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise. “This agreement is a meaningful proof point that Fulcrum®’s precision and performance translate across crop systems, from staple crops to ornamental horticulture.”

The Pairwise Fulcrum® platform includes proprietary gene editing tools, enzymes, and trait libraries that enable precise genetic changes, unlocking plants’ inherent potential and significantly accelerating the development of impactful traits compared to traditional breeding methods. The licensing will cover research and commercial purposes.

About Ball® Horticultural Company

Ball Horticultural Company is a world leader in the research, breeding, production, and marketing of ornamental crops. Founded in 1905 and now in its fourth generation of family ownership, Ball operates across six continents in 20 countries, connecting breeders, growers, and retailers with award-winning plants and seeds. The company’s mission is to color the world by delivering plants that fit modern lifestyles while acting as a responsible steward of natural resources. For more information, visit www.ballhort.com.

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture’s gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by early pioneers of CRISPR, Pairwise’s Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As a trusted partner to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, Pairwise helps breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.

Durham, NC — Pairwise, a global innovator in precision breeding, today announced that CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, has signed a commercial license to Pairwise's Fulcrum® platform. The agreement is among the broadest licenses Pairwise has issued to date, covering plants, livestock, aquaculture, and microbes — putting Fulcrum's advanced gene editing capabilities directly in the hands of researchers across one of the world's largest and most diverse scientific research organizations.

CSIRO's mission spans the full breadth of Australian science and this agreement ensures that researchers have access to the Fulcrum® suite of CRISPR-based tools, including the SHARC™ enzyme, to accelerate discovery and innovation across a wide range of organisms and applications.

Dr Jason Geijskes, Trait Innovation Group Leader said CSIRO has a long history of delivering on farm impact in Australian agriculture systems through application of advanced breeding tools and technologies.

“Access to the Fulcrum® platform of precision breeding technologies will support the rapid development of traits which improve farm productivity and sustainability, and have direct benefits for consumers, across Australia and globally.”

"We are proud to announce this agreement with CSIRO, which will enable some of the world's most talented researchers to harness Fulcrum® across an extraordinary range of applications,” said Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise. “The scope of this license is a reflection of just how versatile precision gene editing has become to address so many challenges.”

The Pairwise Fulcrum® platform includes gene editing tools, enzymes, and trait libraries that enable precise, targeted modifications across a wide range of organisms —accelerating scientific discovery and the development of solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture's gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by the inventors of CRISPR, our Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As trusted partners to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, we help breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com

Pairwise today announced it has been named No. 1 on the FoodTech 500 (2025) by Forward Fooding. The annual ranking identifies the most innovative global companies at the convergence of food, technology, and sustainability, selected from over 1,200 submissions spanning 87 countries.

"The FoodTech 500 recognizes companies solving real problems in the food system, and that's precisely what Pairwise is doing. We're bringing the most powerful crop improvement tools in history to the crops and partners that need them most," said Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise.

To read more, visit: https://forwardfooding.com/foodtech500/company/pairwise/