With the rising challenges of feeding a global population and a changing climate, the time is now to unlock the power of genomic data to make a meaningful difference on-farm.
Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN), a leading global biotechnology company, has teamed up with AbacusBio, a global agri-science consultancy firm, in a move expected to deliver significant real-world value to agriculture around the world by driving up the rate of genetic improvement in the livestock, cropping, aquaculture, horticulture and forestry sectors.
Genomics has already transformed plant and animal research and biotechnology in the past two decades. This has played a critical role in developing crops that can thrive in less hospitable climates and selecting livestock traits for better productivity on farm. It is quickly becoming a best-practice tool supporting complex breeding programs that aim to achieve greater efficiency and sustainability in agricultural production. Today, accessibility of genomics technologies developed by Illumina has set the stage for genetic improvement and genomics-enabled breeding in many species.
AbacusBio, with its origin and headquarters in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, spans across the globe with international offices in Edinburgh, UK and in Edmonton, Canada. The company offers value-chain and genetic improvement program consulting, as well as other consulting services related to livestock and crops. Illumina’s global reach combined with AbacusBio’s extensive experience in implementing selective breeding programs will accelerate transformation of breeding practices towards achieving greater sustainability of agricultural production.
“We are proud to partner with a globally recognised brand to deliver impact, particularly with an emphasis on exciting new genetic improvement opportunities in countries with rapidly developing agriculture sectors,” AbacusBio Group Managing Director, Dr Peter Amer, said.
Illumina is dedicated to making tangible contributions to the agricultural community, with the goal of reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty through the development of affordable and accessible sequencing technology.
“Changing environmental conditions and consumer preferences around the world have a significant impact on farm economics and sustainability of agricultural production. This common challenge unites us, as the provision of nutritious and readily available food is necessary to sustain life right around the world,” Evgeny Glazov, Senior Market Development Manager at Illumina, said.
“We aim to foster adoption of best practices and technology that will result in increased sustainability, improved economics, and nutritional density of agricultural production. This partnership with AbacusBio is key to bringing our combined expertise to countries and organizations that are looking to adapt their practices to meet the challenges of supplying the world with healthy and nutritious food in a sustainable way,” Evgeny said.
Dr Bruno Santos, a Consulting Partner and Director at AbacusBio, said this partnership is a great opportunity to build on the expertise of both companies worldwide. “Our projects focused on smallholder farming and cropping systems in several African countries and in India will benefit from the combined value of local knowledge, Illumina’s experience, and AbacusBio’s expertise in leveraging genetic improvement to generate commercial outcomes and impact.”
“We see excellent alignment of the strategic goals between AbacusBio and Illumina”, Managing Director of AbacusBio International (UK), Dr Tim Byrne, said. He believes this collaboration will open more avenues for both parties to better provide technical services to global organisations involved in improving crops and livestock.
