MITOCHONDRIA & CHLOroPLASTS - Powerhouses of Cells

---

Weeds are notorious in agriculture for causing significant yield loss of crop plants.  Herbicides are indispensable for stable grain production in combination with herbicide-tolerant crop plants.  However, weeds can acquire herbicide tolerance by outcrossing with crop plants carrying herbicide-tolerant traits.  This is a major problem in rice fields due to the spreading of weedy rice in the Southern U.S. States and other countries, especially in Southeast Asia.  NAPIGEN is addressing this issue by utilizing its unique mitochondrial gene editing technology to produce crop plants that cannot transmit herbicide-tolerant traits by accidental cross-pollination. Our technology will facilitate use of dryland plantation of rice instead of planting in paddy fields.   Methane emissions from rice paddy fields account for 10% of global methane emissions, equivalent to 1.5% of the total warming effects of all greenhouse gases. 

Mitochondria are essential for human cells as the major source of metabolic energy.  Disruption of mitochondrial functions due to mutations in mitochondrial DNA can cause severe degenerative and developmental disorders such as Kearns-Sayre syndrome and Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. Mitochondrial mutations are also known to correlate with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and aging. NAPIGEN is developing new gene editing technologies to provide potential cures for mitochondrial diseases.

 Mitochondria are sites of many key metabolic pathways in industrial microbes. They are also the sites of energy production and reservoirs for chemical-reducing powers. Utilizing their superb environment for biosynthesis, NAPIGEN is turning mitochondria into subcellular biofactories to produce various high-value compounds efficiently. Our product targets include complex nutraceutical and pharmaceutical compounds.