New SmartPE tool could make gene editing easier in tomatoes and soybeans

Researchers in China have developed SmartPE, a gene-editing system that boosts the efficiency of prime editing in dicot plants. Prime editing allows precise genetic changes but has struggled in this large plant group. The new system could make it easier for scientists to introduce exact edits into crops such as tomatoes, soybeans and rapeseed, addressing a major limitation of the technique.