Thank you to Dan Voytas (U of M Center for Genome Engineering), Ben Lang (Minnesota Crop Improvement Association) and Doug Cameron (First Greet Partners), as well as the seminar attendees for a fascinating discussion. The idea of precision genetic engineering of plants to make food healthier and easier to grow addresses a fundamental global need. As one panelist put it, over the next 50 years, the worlds food needs will increase dramatically even as the amount of available land decreases. In the second half of the session, we examined concepts of technology diffusion and Lean Startup principles to consider the challenges and opportunities in commercializing these advances.
