Russia has joined the global ranks of gene editors

beet is one of the four key crops in Russian gene editing research.Russia is embracing gene editing. A recently announced 111 billion rubles ($1.7 billion) federal plan aims to produce 10 new species of gene-edited crops and animals by 2020 and another 20 new species by 2027.
Kochetov, director of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) institute of cytology and genetics in Novosibirsk, welcomed the research project. For decades, he says, Russia's genetics research has been "chronically underfunded". After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Russia's research spending has fallen sharply and in recent years it has lagged behind other big powers, spending 1.11 per cent of its gross domestic product on research in 2017, up from 2.79 per cent in the US.
some researchers doubt that these goals will be achieved on time and worry that the plan will not solve other problems they face, such as excessive bureaucracy.
It is not clear whether the 111 billion rubles are included in Russia's existing federal civil science budget, which is 364 billion rubles in 2018, of which 22 billion rubles are for genetic research, or whether they are outside the budget.
the program, announced in April, immediately attracted interest because it showed that some gene-editing products would not be subject to a law passed in 2016. The law prohibits the cultivation of genetically modified crops in Russia, except for research purposes. It was not previously clear whether gene-editing organisms were included in the ban.
2016 law describes GENETIC crops as genetically modified organisms that "cannot be produced by natural processes." But the new project equates gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 with traditional breeding methods that do not require the insertion of foreign DNA.
a scientist at the RAS-affiliated institute said this represented a welcome step forward for Russian scientists, many of whom had previously been frustrated by the uncertainty in the 2016 law.
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have no strict restrictions on gene editing technology. By contrast, in July 2018, a ruling by the European Union's highest court declared that gene-edited crops were subject to the same strict regulation as traditional genetically modified organisms. Many scientists say this will hamper research.
, a molecular geneticist involved in the government's project, said it was important that Russia was not marginalized in the global CRISPR rich belt. One of the goals of the project is to reduce Russia's dependence on imported crops.
", despite considering itself a bread basket, Russia remains highly dependent on imports for good crop varieties, so the government has decided what to do. "Fortunately, some RAS members have successfully demonstrated that CRISPR-Cas9 is a good thing. The
the program prioritizes four crops: barley, beet, wheat and potatoes. Russia is the world's largest producer of barley and a major producer of three other crops, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
the development of genetically edited versions of these crops is under way. Scientists at the Moscow Ras Institute are developing disease-resistant varieties of potatoes and beets. The Vavelov Plant Industry Institute in St. Petersburg and the Ras Institute of Cytology and Genetics are conducting gene editing studies aimed at making barley and wheat easier to process and more nutritious.
but it is unclear whether Russian scientists will be able to achieve the ambitious goals of the plan. Severinov once described his job in Russia as "swimming in a pool without water". He said that although he helped develop the project, it did not eliminate the "inhumane and harsh" conditions for life science research in Russia, including red tape and limited funding.
Li, a plant scientist at the University of Connecticut in Stolls, usa, said the launch of the project was "a major step" for Russia and the world. That could prompt China to invest more in gene editing technology and help fuel growing U.S. enthusiasm for it, he said. "This could be a very interesting development for European countries, given the European Court of Justice's ruling on gene editing." He added