Pairwise gene editing platform selected to help Mars Inc. improve cacao production

Durham agtech startup Pairwise has landed a new high-profile customer for its CRISPR gene editing process.

Mars Inc., the confectionery, pet care, and food giant, has licensed Pairwise’s gene editing platform, called Fulcrum, to help with research and development for improving cacao production. Cacao beans are used to make cocoa, the key ingredient in chocolate.

“At Mars, we believe CRISPR has the potential to improve crops in ways that support and strengthen global supply chains,” Carl Jones, plant sciences director at Mars, said in a news release announcing the deal. “Our focus is to transparently and responsibly conduct CRISPR research in plant science that helps crops better adapt to climate challenges, disease pressures and resource constraints.”

CRISPR is the technology that allows scientists to selectively alter DNA sequences in pursuit of treating genetic diseases in humans or modifying crops to improve yield and disease resistance.

For Pairwise, this means using its Fulcrum platform for precise gene editing capabilities in agriculture. The company, founded in 2017, designed the platform for plant scientists and agricultural researchers. The technology combines gene editing tools, enzymes and libraries that catalog crop traits.

The result, Pairwise says, is a capability that helps unlock a plant’s potential.

“Plant breeding innovation has the potential to help address important agricultural challenges, and we look forward to supporting Mars’ research goals,” Ian Miller, Pairwise’s chief operating officer, said in the news release.

Like many other plants, cacao, which is derived from the Theobroma cacao tree, is under stress from climate variations and diseases caused by various pests and parasitic organisms.

Privately held Mars, with an estimated $50 billion in 2024 revenue, includes M&M’s, Snickers and Dove among its chocolate brands.

Pairwise, with a total of about 110 employees as of last year, has its headquarters in Durham’s Golden Belt campus downtown and a research center in Research Triangle Park. 

The company also counts Bayer as a well-known customer. The German pharmaceutical, life sciences and agricultural company last year extended its relationship with Pairwise by licensing Fulcrum to help develop and commercialize salad greens.