# Making Plant Genetic Engineering More Efficient with a Nitrogen Enzyme > This patent describes a method to make genetic engineering and gene editing in plants more successful by increasing the activity of a specific gene called NiR, which helps with how plants use nitrogen. - **Patent:** US 20240167048 - **Original title:** Method for improving efficiency of genetic transformation and gene editing in plants - **Owner:** Suzhou QI Biodesign Biotechnology Co - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 1 - **Field:** biotech, gene_editing, agriculture, plant_science ## What it does The invention improves the process of changing plant genes by overexpressing, or making a lot of, the NiR gene within plant cells. This overexpression can be achieved by introducing a special piece of DNA called an expression construct containing the NiR gene into the plant cell (claim 1). This method is used to achieve two main goals: first, to improve the plant's ability to regenerate into a whole plant from a single modified cell (claim 1); and second, to make the actual gene editing or genetic transformation process more efficient (claims 2 and 3). For example, a scientist could introduce the NiR gene alongside a gene editing system like CRISPR (claim 6) into a callus cell (claim 8) of a crop like corn (claim 9) to more easily create a new plant with desired traits. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover plant genetic transformation or gene editing methods that do not involve overexpressing the NiR gene. - Does not cover genetic modification techniques applied to non-plant organisms, such as animal or fungal cells. - Does not cover methods that improve plant traits without involving the regeneration of an intact plant from a modified cell. - Does not cover methods where the NiR gene is not introduced into the plant cell via an expression construct. - Does not cover gene editing systems that are not introduced into the plant cell via an expression construct. ## The clever bit The clever bit is identifying that overexpressing the NiR gene, which plays a role in nitrogen metabolism, can directly boost the success rate of regenerating a whole plant from a modified cell and the overall efficiency of gene editing. This links a fundamental plant metabolic pathway to a key bottleneck in genetic engineering. ## Real-world examples 1. Genetically modified corn 2. Herbicide-resistant soybeans 3. Disease-resistant wheat 4. Biofortified rice 5. CRISPR-edited tomatoes ## Why it matters Improving the efficiency of genetic transformation and gene editing in plants is critical for developing new crop varieties faster and more affordably. Many genetically modified (GM) crops, like herbicide-resistant soybeans or insect-resistant corn, rely on these techniques. By making the process more efficient, this invention could help accelerate the creation of plants with improved yields, better nutritional value, or increased resistance to diseases and pests, which are important for global food security. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Making Plant Genetic Engineering More Efficient with a Nitrogen Enzyme cover? This patent describes a method to make genetic engineering and gene editing in plants more successful by increasing the activity of a specific gene called NiR, which helps with how plants use nitrogen. ### Who owns patent US 20240167048? This patent is owned by Suzhou QI Biodesign Biotechnology Co. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on March 24, 2042, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 20240167048 cited by? This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? Improving the efficiency of genetic transformation and gene editing in plants is critical for developing new crop varieties faster and more affordably. Many genetically modified (GM) crops, like herbicide-resistant soybeans or insect-resistant corn, rely on these techniques. By making the process more efficient, this invention could help accelerate the creation of plants with improved yields, better nutritional value, or increased resistance to diseases and pests, which are important for global food security. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover plant genetic transformation or gene editing methods that do not involve overexpressing the NiR gene. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20240167048/method-for-improving-efficiency-of-genetic-transformation-and-gene-editing-in-pl **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US20240167048 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [Boosting Plant Gene Editing and Regeneration with Special Genes](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12416013/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. - [Boosting Gene Editing Success in Plants with Special Proteins](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12043837/methods-for-improving-genome-engineering-and-regeneration-in-plant) — This patent describes how to make genetic changes in plant cells much more successful by adding specific 'booster' proteins or their genetic instructions alongside the gene-editing tools. - [CRISPR Tools for Engineering Fungal Genomes](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20170088845/vectors-and-methods-for-fungal-genome-engineering-by-crispr-cas9) — This patent describes a specific genetic tool, called an expression vector, designed to efficiently edit the DNA of fungi using the CRISPR-Cas9 system, which is useful for industrial applications like making biofuels or enzymes. - [How CRISPR-Cas9 Uses RNA to Edit DNA](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10113167/methods-and-compositions-for-rna-directed-target-dna-modification-and-for-rna-directed-modulation-of-transcription) — This patent describes the fundamental mechanism of using a two-part RNA system to guide the Cas9 protein to specific locations in DNA for precise editing. - [Tracking Plant Microbes with Their Natural DNA Barcodes](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12735713/plant-colonization-assays-using-natural-microbial-barcodes) — This patent describes a method to track how microbes colonize plant roots by using and reconfiguring their naturally occurring DNA sequences as unique tags.