Boosting Plant Gene Editing and Regeneration with Special Genes
This patent describes a method to make plant genetic engineering more efficient by adding specific genes that encourage plant cells to divide and grow, making it easier to create new plants with desired traits.
Original patent title: “Method for improving plant genetic transformation and gene editing efficiency”
This patent describes a method to make plant genetic engineering more efficient by adding specific genes that encourage plant cells to divide and grow, making it easier to create new plants with desired traits. Granted to Tianjin Genovo Biotechnology Co in 2025 with 15 claims and 1 forward citation, and it is expected to expire in 2041.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This method improves how well plant cells regenerate into whole plants and how efficiently genes can be edited or added. It works by introducing specific combinations of genes into a plant cell. For example, ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1 describes introducing an expression construct containing the WUS, BBM, and SERK genes (or GRF and GIF genes, or the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 22) to boost the plant cell's ability to regenerate. Claim 2 applies this same gene introduction step to help transform a plant with an "exogenous nucleic acid sequence of interest," meaning a new piece of DNA. Claim 3 extends this to gene editing, where the introduced genes help a gene editing system (like CRISPR) work better to modify the plant's own DNA. After these genes are introduced, an intact plant is regenerated from the modified cell.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover plant genetic transformation or gene editing methods that do not involve introducing the specific WUS, BBM, SERK, GRF, GIF, or SEQ ID NO: 22 nucleic acid sequences.
- Does not cover methods that improve plant regeneration or gene editing using entirely different sets of cell division-promoting genes.
- Does not cover genetic modification techniques that do not require regenerating an intact plant from a single plant cell.
- Does not cover gene editing or genetic transformation in animals, fungi, or other non-plant organisms.
- Does not cover methods where the WUS, BBM, and SERK genes are not introduced together, unless the GRF and GIF genes or SEQ ID NO: 22 are used instead.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The clever bit is identifying and leveraging specific combinations of known plant developmental genes (WUS, BBM, SERK, GRF, GIF) to significantly overcome the inherent difficulty of regenerating whole plants from genetically modified cells. This targeted genetic intervention directly addresses a major bottleneck in plant biotechnology.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Development of disease-resistant corn varieties
Creation of drought-tolerant soybean plants
Engineering rice with enhanced nutritional content
Accelerated breeding of new crop varieties through gene editing
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Plant genetic engineering is a crucial technology for developing crops with improved traits like disease resistance, higher yields, or enhanced nutritional value. The ability to efficiently regenerate a whole plant from a single modified cell is often a bottleneck in this process. By making this step more efficient, this patent could accelerate the development and testing of new genetically modified or gene-edited crops, potentially leading to more resilient and productive agricultural systems.
Filed
March 19, 2021
Granted
September 16, 2025
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies like Tianjin Genovo Biotechnology Co Ltd, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, are actively working in this space. Major agricultural biotechnology firms such as Corteva Agriscience, Bayer Crop Science, and Syngenta, along with numerous academic research institutions worldwide, are continuously seeking ways to improve plant genetic transformation and gene editing efficiency to develop new crop varieties.
Market impact
This patent addresses a critical technical challenge in plant biotechnology, which could lead to a significant acceleration in the research and development pipeline for new genetically engineered and gene-edited crops. By making the transformation and regeneration process more efficient, it could reduce the time and cost associated with bringing new crop traits to market, thereby increasing the pace of innovation in the agricultural sector and potentially enabling the development of crops previously too difficult to modify.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This method improves how well plant cells regenerate into whole plants and how efficiently genes can be edited or added. It works by introducing specific combinations of genes into a plant cell. For example, Claim 1 describes introducing an expression construct containing the WUS, BBM, and SERK genes (or GRF and GIF genes, or the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 22) to boost the plant cell's ability to regenerate. Claim 2 applies this same gene introduction step to help transform a plant with an "exogenous nucleic acid sequence of interest," meaning a new piece of DNA. Claim 3 extends this to gene editing, where the introduced genes help a gene editing system (like CRISPR) work better to modify the plant's own DNA. After these genes are introduced, an intact plant is regenerated from the modified cell.
The clever bit
The clever bit is identifying and leveraging specific combinations of known plant developmental genes (WUS, BBM, SERK, GRF, GIF) to significantly overcome the inherent difficulty of regenerating whole plants from genetically modified cells. This targeted genetic intervention directly addresses a major bottleneck in plant biotechnology.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover plant genetic transformation or gene editing methods that do not involve introducing the specific WUS, BBM, SERK, GRF, GIF, or SEQ ID NO: 22 nucleic acid sequences.
- Does not cover methods that improve plant regeneration or gene editing using entirely different sets of cell division-promoting genes.
- Does not cover genetic modification techniques that do not require regenerating an intact plant from a single plant cell.
- Does not cover gene editing or genetic transformation in animals, fungi, or other non-plant organisms.
- Does not cover methods where the WUS, BBM, and SERK genes are not introduced together, unless the GRF and GIF genes or SEQ ID NO: 22 are used instead.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
10/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$108K – $346K
Midpoint $216K · 14.7 yr remaining · industry ×3.0
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
15 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Zhang, K., GAO, C., Ran, Y., Qiu, F., Xu, H., & WANG, Y. (2025). Boosting Plant Gene Editing and Regeneration with Special Genes (U.S. Patent No. 12,416,013). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12416013/method-for-improving-plant-genetic-transformation-and-gene-editing-efficiency
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Boosting Plant Gene Editing and Regeneration with Special Genes cover?
This patent describes a method to make plant genetic engineering more efficient by adding specific genes that encourage plant cells to divide and grow, making it easier to create new plants with desired traits.
Who owns patent US 12416013?
Tianjin Genovo Biotechnology Co owns this patent, granted in 2025.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on March 19, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 12416013 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Plant genetic engineering is a crucial technology for developing crops with improved traits like disease resistance, higher yields, or enhanced nutritional value. The ability to efficiently regenerate a whole plant from a single modified cell is often a bottleneck in this process. By making this step more efficient, this patent could accelerate the development and testing of new genetically modified or gene-edited crops, potentially leading to more resilient and productive agricultural systems.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover plant genetic transformation or gene editing methods that do not involve introducing the specific WUS, BBM, SERK, GRF, GIF, or SEQ ID NO: 22 nucleic acid sequences.
Patent monitoring