Jan 16, 2018

Syngenta firms up collaboration with NRGene

Syngenta, an agrochemical and seed company, and NRGene, a genomic big data company, have continued to advance their cooperation in breeding and trait discovery in key crops.

Syngenta has licensed NRGene’s GenoMAGIC, a cloud-based big data analytics platform, to evaluate, predict, compare and select the best genetic makeup for crop molecular breeding and genomic selection. The agreement is on a non-exclusive, multi-year basis.

The GenoMAGIC system will be implemented in Syngenta’s advanced R&D pipeline and will influence key decision making for hardier, more productive crops. GenoMAGIC was developed by a unique mix of highly experienced algorithm designers, software engineers, plant breeders, and plant geneticists and is used by seed companies like Syngenta and major academic and research institutions worldwide to actively battle world hunger and increase profitability for growers.

GenoMAGIC reveals the broad genetic diversity of crop plants and optimizes the use of genetic diversity throughout the breeding pipeline. Syngenta was an early adopter of  GenoMAGIC and has demonstrated the significant advantages of using NRGene’s pangenome approach to haplotyping.

“NRGene’s GenoMAGIC system is an enabler for us to unlock the full potential of the genetic diversity available within our breeding programs,” said Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, Head Seeds Research at Syngenta. “This next phase in our collaboration should greatly improve our ability to predict performance and accelerate our ability to bring innovation into the hands of growers around the globe.”

“The fact that leading international companies like Syngenta have chosen to adopt GenoMAGIC reinforces the fact that we’re on the right track, developing the big data tools to facilitate cutting- edge, highly sophisticated breeding, adding our modest contribution toward global food security,” said Dr. Gil Ronen, chief executive officer of NRGene. “We look forward to broadening the use of our tools to support the genetic research of plants and animals, as well as humans.”