CSIRO has entered into a landmark licence agreement with Bayer CropScience over the application of its DNA-delivered RNAi (RNAi) gene silencing technology in certain major crops.

The deal is the first licence of CSIRO's patented RNAi technology to a leading agri-biotechnology company.

Under the agreement Bayer CropScience acquired a worldwide license to develop, market and sell selected crop plant varieties incorporating the RNAi technology.

According to Dr Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, Head of BioScience Research for Bayer CropScience, "The licence deal marks a key milestone in the long-standing collaboration between the organisations.

CSIRO Plant Industry's Deputy Chief Dr TJ Higgins says "This collaboration demonstrates CSIRO's commitment to build on its position at the forefront of the RNAi field and to work with partners to commercialise its applications."

Using RNAi, CSIRO Plant Industry researchers first demonstrated gene silencing in an organism in 1995.

"The RNAi technology is a breakthrough technology with potential for application across a number of fields including development of novel traits in plants as well as animals," says Dr Higgins.

RNAi can be used to introduce disease resistance, enhance nutritional qualities and control flowering by removing unwanted gene functions.

CSIRO has already applied RNAi to make healthier cottonseed oils for cooking and margarine by 'switching off' genes in cottonseed that would otherwise produce the cholesterol raising trans fatty acids usually made as a by-product of cottonseed processing.