Celebrating the third cohort of the CRISPR Course for the next generation of African genome editors

The third cohort of the Africa Plant Breeding Academy (AfPBA) CRISPR Course has officially graduated, marking another milestone in strengthening Africa's capacity for advanced crop improvement technologies. This cohort hosted eleven scientists from five African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.

The training, hosted at the IITA-CGIAR Biotechnology Platform in Nairobi, on the ILRI campus and at CIFOR-ICRAF, is part of a multi-partner initiative of the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), in collaboration with IITA, the University of California, Davis, and the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley. The course provides African researchers with both theoretical and practical knowledge in the use of CRISPR-Cas systems for precise and efficient genome editing in plants.

Over the intensive 6-week training period, fellows learned to design and execute genome editing, from guide RNA design to plant transformation, molecular analysis, and phenotyping, gaining hands-on experience that bridges the gap between science and application. The course also included sessions on biosafety, regulatory considerations, and communication, reinforcing a holistic understanding of responsible research and innovation.

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