Agricultural Biotechnology · Research Collaboration
AgriVitae works with seed companies and agricultural institutions on DHS-based approaches to shelf life, post-harvest resilience, and stress tolerance.
DHS → eIF5A hypusination pathway
Why AgriVitae
Modern agriculture demands faster routes from discovery to commercial field. AgriVitae helps close that gap through science-driven collaboration with breeders and research institutions.
DHS regulates plant cell fate via hypusine modification of eIF5A. Published studies have linked reduced DHS activity to delayed senescence, longer shelf life, and greater stress tolerance.
We work alongside seed companies and institutions, not in competition with them.
Our team brings decades of experience in plant biotechnology, from gene discovery through regulatory strategy and field evaluation.
The DHS Platform
The DHS protein regulates eIF5A hypusination — a post-translational modification governing plant cell fate, growth, and stress response. Modulating DHS activity can tune phenotypically relevant pathways without wholesale genome rewiring.
eIF5A is an essential translation factor present in all plants. Its hypusination — catalyzed by DHS — governs translation of proteins critical for cell elongation, stress tolerance, and organ development. Reducing DHS activity controls the availability of hypusinated eIF5A, thereby tuning growth and senescence pathways with precision.
This approach differs fundamentally from conventional trait stacking. Rather than introducing new genes, this approach targets an endogenous regulatory bottleneck already present in every plant genome.
Edits of this type may fall outside GMO regulation in some jurisdictions, depending on the crop, the edit, and local rules.
Tomato
Banana
Rice
Edits to an endogenous gene, without foreign DNA, may qualify for simplified regulatory treatment in some jurisdictions.
DHS-based approaches are designed to integrate into existing programs and seed production infrastructure — no new cultivation requirements.
Science & Partnerships
Phenotypes described here are drawn from published literature and ongoing research. Validation contexts vary by crop.
Research Partners
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center (WCIC). Genome editing research in rice, maize, tomato, and other crop species under a Material Use Agreement with AgriVitae LLC.
In 2026, AgriVitae conducted high-level institutional meetings in Bhutan, engaging with the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock and the Agricultural Research and Development Centre (ARDC Bajo). This engagement reflects our long-term commitment to South Asian crop diversity as a platform for trait discovery.
Let's partner
We work with seed companies, breeding programs, agricultural institutions, research organizations, and development agencies. If you are exploring research collaboration or regional partnerships in South and Southeast Asia, we would like to hear from you.
Co-Founder & CEO · AgriVitae LLC
Forty years in plant biotechnology spanning gene discovery, regulatory strategy, and international partnership development. Formerly at Mycogen Corporation (Bt trait development, acquired by Dow AgroSciences) and Agribody Technologies, Inc. (acquired 2021). Active collaborations with leading agricultural research institutions in North America, South Asia, and the Eastern Himalayas.