Monsanto Strikes Two Genome-Editing Licensing Deals
29 Jun 2016 --- Monsanto has signed two licensing deals as it looks to use genome editing to improve the development of agricultural products.
Monsanto is investing heavily in genome-editing technologies, as it believes it will help plant breeders to deliver better hybrids and varieties more efficiently, as well as offer plant scientists additional resources to deliver new improvements in plant biotechnology.
The St Louis based company has signed a deal with Nomad Bioscience, a German biotech company, focusing on gene-editing research.
The deal gives Monsanto the rights to use Nomad’s proprietary technology to its genome-editing projects aimed at benefiting its agricultural crops.
“Our approach greatly increases both the efficiency of genome editing and the ability to deploy edited traits in commercial varieties, which could prove to be beneficial to the speed and scale at which potential products are developed,” said Dr. Yuri Gleba, chief executive officer and Nomad founder.
The agreement includes a three-year research project, during which scientists at Nomad will continue to expand the applicability of their technology.
In addition, the agreement provides Monsanto with rights to use Nomad’s technology for research projects during the term, as well as an option for an exclusive commercial license to apply the proprietary technology in the development of agriculture products.
“Monsanto is committed to delivering best-in-class solutions to growers who face increasing challenges every year,” said Tom Adams, biotechnology lead for Monsanto.
“Our collaboration with Nomad is one example of how we employ the industry’s best science through our own R&D pipeline and through strategic partnerships to continually drive agriculture innovation.”
Separately, Monsanto has inked a similar type deal with Israeli's TargetGene Biotechnologies, a company which also specializes in genome-editing technologies.
The deal involves Monsanto being granted an exclusive license to TargetGene’s novel and proprietary "T·GEE" (Genome Editing Engine) platform to deliver continuous improvements in agriculture.
“TargetGene is pleased to be working with Monsanto to enable the next generation of agricultural innovation through the application of our genome-editing technology,” said Dr. Yoel Shiboleth, chief executive officer of TargetGene.
“In a time of increasing environmental challenges and a growing global population to feed, this science has never been more important.”
“TargetGene has uniquely positioned itself to develop precision-editing techniques that can improve a broad range of solutions that help growers around the world deliver better harvests,” said Tom Adams, biotechnology lead for Monsanto.
“Monsanto has conducted extensive research with various gene-editing approaches for years, and we believe access to TargetGene’s technology will help drive further precision and efficiency within the company’s robust plant breeding and biotechnology pipelines.”
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