133602AgroTrop-RNPClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UK"GMO crops incorporate foreign DNA into the genome to create specific improvements such as yield increases or disease tolerance. However, this methodology require extensive development processes, strict regulatory approval pathways and strong public stigmatization. There is a new toolkit (CRISPR-Cas9) which has revolutionised non-GM breeding since its adoption in 2012\. It allows for low cost, highly targeted edits of cells, without incorporating foreign DNA. In fact, the mutations it creates could arise naturally, it just allows for focused efforts and removes random chance. However, there is a significant technological barrier which is preventing CRISPR-Cas9 from being employed in many crops. This is what Agro-Trop-RNP addresses. We are developing a unique and highly innovative approach to enable the whole CRISPR-Cas9 toolkit to be applied to all agricultural crops. This will allow us to address some of agriculture's greatest remaining challenges (eg. Black Sigatoka Disease in bananas causes 50% yield losses, obliging fungicide application 20-70 times/yr: increasing production costs by 25%) and increase food security on a global scale."