Monsanto Announces Global Licensing Agreement with Broad Institute on Key Genome-Editing Application
September 22 2016 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that it has reached
a global licensing agreement for the use of the CRISPR-Cas
genome-editing technology in agriculture with the Broad Institute
of MIT and Harvard.
The Broad Institute is a world leader in the development and
sharing of CRISPR genome-editing technologies and holds several
issued U.S. patents covering CRISPR-Cas technology. The parties,
which share a broad-licensing philosophy to enable wide-ranging
benefits from proprietary innovations, expect that this
non-exclusive license agreement will deliver a wide array of crop
improvements to global agriculture.
“The license to CRISPR-Cas from the Broad Institute provides
access to an exciting tool for our growing body of genome-editing
research,” said Tom Adams, Ph.D., biotechnology lead for Monsanto.
“Genome-editing technology is complementary to our ongoing
discovery research and provides an incredible resource to further
unlock our world-leading germplasm and genome libraries.”
Under the agreement announced today, the Broad Institute grants
Monsanto a worldwide non-exclusive license for agriculture
applications of the CRISPR-Cas technology. Additional terms of the
agreement were not disclosed.
“Genome-editing techniques present precise ways to dramatically
improve the scale and discovery efficiency of new research that can
improve human health and global agriculture,” said Issi Rozen,
Chief Business Officer of the Broad Institute. “We are encouraged
to see these tools being used to help deliver responsible solutions
to help farmers meet the demands of our growing population.”
Genome-editing technologies present another key scientific tool
that can deliver breakthroughs in agriculture. CRISPR-Cas works by
making precisely-targeted modifications in a cell's DNA, similar to
the search-and-replace function in modern-day word processing
applications. Genome-editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas,
offer a way for scientists to promote site-directed integration of
specific genes as well as the opportunity to enhance beneficial or
remove undesired plant characteristics. These techniques will
enable plant breeders to deliver better hybrids and varieties more
efficiently.
About Monsanto Company
Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to
help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits,
vegetables and key crops – such as corn, soybeans, and cotton –
that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other
important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable
solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming
practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop
protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease.
Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers,
researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to
help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn more
about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated
employees, please visit: discover.monsanto.com and
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160922005135/en/
Monsanto CompanyMedia:Camille Scott,
314-694-4645orInvestors:Laura Meyer, 314-694-8148
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