22nd Century Group Completes Successful Non-GMO Very Low Nicotine Content Tobacco Research Field Trials
April 30 2020 - 2:00PM
Business Wire
Research Validates New Non-GMO Methodologies for Reducing
Nicotine in Tobacco Plants by up to 99%
22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE American: XXII) (“22nd Century”
or “the Company”), a leading plant biotechnology company focused on
reduced nicotine tobacco and hemp/cannabis plant genetics research
and development, announced today that the Company and North
Carolina State University (“NCSU”), have completed successful
research field trials that have validated new non-GMO (genetically
modified organism) methodologies for reducing nicotine in tobacco
plants. The research was partially funded by 22nd Century and was
conducted by NCSU’s Department of Crop and Soil Science with
project oversight provided by 22nd Century’s R&D team. The
research findings and paper can be viewed at the following link:
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00368
As an alternative to older, genetic-engineering technologies
that result in the creation of plants regulated as GMOs, the NCSU
researchers used newer, non-CRISPR, non-GMO, gene editing
technologies to consistently achieve reductions in nicotine levels
by as much as 99%, when compared to conventional tobacco plants.
This reduction in nicotine levels is believed to be caused by the
inactivation of several genes believed to encode for enzymes
involved in nicotine biosynthesis in the plant. 22nd Century has
earlier filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office to secure intellectual property rights for this
non-GMO genetic approach that achieves very low nicotine content
(VLNC) levels in tobacco plants using non-GMO methodologies.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of the research field
trials completed in collaboration with NCSU, which demonstrate that
non-GMO methodologies can be applied reliably to reduce nicotine
levels in tobacco plants by up to 99%. To further validate our
research, 22nd Century and NCSU will conduct larger scale and more
extensive field trials in additional geographies,” said Juan
Sanchez Tamburrino, Vice President of Research and Development for
22nd Century.
The additional field trials will test these new, non-GMO, VLNC
tobacco lines in multiple locations and soil conditions, allowing
22nd Century to select VLNC tobacco plants for optimal performance
in different locations.
Commenting on this work, Michael Zercher, 22nd Century’s
President and COO, said, “This research marks a key milestone in
22nd Century’s reduced nicotine content tobacco R&D program and
further extends our product development opportunities by enabling
the creation of VLNC tobacco plants of many varieties, including
bright, burley and oriental tobaccos. This non-GMO technology is
also key to commercializing our VLNC tobacco cigarettes in
international markets where non-GMO products are important. We are
pleased with our R&D team’s progress and excited about this
unique technology developed in collaboration with NCSU.”
22nd Century’s proprietary, reduced nicotine tobacco cigarettes,
containing 95% less nicotine than conventional cigarettes, enable
adult smokers to experience the same taste and smell as
conventional cigarettes but with minimal exposure to nicotine.
Numerous independent scientific studies funded in large part by the
FDA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other U.S. federal
government agencies using the Company’s reduced nicotine content
tobacco cigarettes studies show conclusively that smokers who use
22nd Century’s reduced nicotine content tobacco cigarettes (i)
reduce their nicotine exposure and dependence, (ii) smoke fewer
cigarettes per day, (iii) experience reduced withdrawal symptoms,
(iv) increase their number of smoke-free days, and (v) double their
quit attempts – all with minimal or no evidence of nicotine
withdrawal or compensatory smoking.
The Company believes that bringing its reduced nicotine content
tobacco cigarettes to market will be an important step towards the
implementation of the FDA’s proposed plan to require all cigarettes
sold in the U.S. to be made “minimally or non-addictive.” By
limiting the nicotine content of all combustible cigarettes to just
0.5 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco, a level already
achieved in by 22nd Century’s products, FDA projects that five
million adult smokers would quit one year after implementation and
over eight million American lives would be saved by the end of the
century.
About 22nd Century Group, Inc.
22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE AMERICAN: XXII) is a leading
plant biotechnology company focused on technologies that alter the
level of nicotine in tobacco plants and the level of cannabinoids
in hemp/cannabis plants through genetic engineering, gene-editing
and modern plant breeding. The Company’s primary mission in tobacco
is to reduce the harm caused by smoking by bringing its proprietary
reduced nicotine content cigarettes with 95% less nicotine than
conventional cigarettes to adult smokers in the U.S. and
international markets. The Company’s primary mission in
hemp/cannabis is to develop proprietary hemp/cannabis plants with
unique cannabinoid profiles and desirable agronomic traits and to
commercialize those plants through a synergistic portfolio of
strategic partnerships in the hemp/cannabis industry.
Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on Twitter @_xxiicentury and on
LinkedIn.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements
concerning our business, operations and financial performance and
condition as well as our plans, objectives and expectations for our
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forward-looking statements are based on current expectations,
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assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future
performance or development and involve known and unknown risks,
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materially from those contained in our forward-looking statements,
please refer to “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200430005757/en/
Mei Kuo 22nd Century Group, Inc. (716) 300-1221
mkuo@xxiicentury.com
Cory Ziskind ICR (646) 277-1232 cory.ziskind@icrinc.com
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