Plants have two genomes. We work in both.
Most people know about DNA in the nucleus — the blueprint that determines most of what a plant is. But plants have a second genome, tucked inside their chloroplasts: the organelle responsible for photosynthesis and a large share of plant biology. This chloroplast genome is smaller, highly active in green tissues, and encoded with some of the most important yield-related genes in the plant kingdom. It is largely untouched by conventional crop biotech. Plastomics was built specifically to work in this space.
Where crop biotech has focused for four decades. One nucleus per cell — limited dosage, and pollen-borne, so traits can drift.
Each carries its own circular genome. High dosage, maternally inherited, and home to the photosynthesis genes. This is where Plastomics works.
The organelle that powers photosynthesis — the process by which plants convert sunlight, CO₂ and water into growth. A single plant cell can contain up to 100 chloroplasts, each carrying its own circular genome.
- ▸~100 copies instead of 1–2 → dramatically higher protein production
- ▸Maternal inheritance → the trait stays in the seed, never passes through pollen
- ▸Direct access to photosynthesis genes — rbcL, psbA, atpB
Two ways to engineer the chloroplast
Like loading new software into a system with 100 processors instead of one. We add new genetic instructions directly to the chloroplast genome — higher dosage, higher output, zero drift.
Like finding a typo in existing code and correcting it. Using precision base editors (DdCBE and TALED), we make targeted changes to native chloroplast genes — no new DNA, just precise improvements to what's already there.
Nearly six times more headroom.
Photosynthesis is the most fundamental process in agriculture, yet current crops convert less than 2% of sunlight into usable yield — the theoretical maximum is ~11%. Every key gene controlling this efficiency gap lives in the chloroplast genome. That means only Plastomics can address them.
With our gene-editing capability now published in corn (Mangu et al., 2025), we are advancing from proof of concept to active photosynthesis-engineering programs.
A world-first, in the world's most important grain.
A compounding moat.
With each published result and validated crop system, our IP moat expands — creating compounding scientific and commercial advantages. The Mangu et al. (2025) publication establishes scientific priority in chloroplast gene editing in maize.