Yield10 Bioscience Chief Science Officer Dr. Kristi Snell to Highlight Camelina Platform for Producing PHB Biomaterials to Im...
October 04 2019 - 8:30AM
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN), an agricultural bioscience
company that uses its “Trait Factory” to develop high value seed
traits for the agriculture and food industries, today announced
that Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Yield10’s Chief Science Officer, will
present at the 3rd International Conference on Plant Synthetic
Biology, Bioengineering and Biotechnology which is being held
October 4-6 in Cambridge, UK. Dr. Snell’s presentation, entitled
“Breakthroughs in Plant Based PHB Production: Harnessing Nature to
Heal Nature,” will be part of Session 5: Novel Bioproducts which is
scheduled from 12:30 pm to 2:15 pm local time on Saturday, October
5.
Dr. Snell will discuss the progress made by the Yield10 team to
achieve plant-based production of the simplest member of the
natural PHA biopolymer family, PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate). The team
engineered the PHB production pathway in the cytosol of plant
cells, resulting in PHB levels of up to 10.2% of seed weight in the
oilseed Camelina. The PHB containing seeds exhibited good seed
germination, seedling emergence and survival. These results
represent a significant step towards sustainable low-cost
commercial production of PHB in plants. Yield10 recently filed a
new U.S. patent application for producing PHB in plants using this
novel method.
“Our conference presentation highlights the scientific
breakthrough we achieved demonstrating the ability to produce PHB
biomaterials at the level of 10% of the mature seed weight in seeds
of the plant known as Camelina sativa,” said Kristi Snell, Ph.D.,
Chief Science Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “PHB-producing
Camelina can improve the sustainability of food production as a
cover crop, by mitigating nutrient runoff at its source in the
field, while also producing a PHB product for use as a denitrifying
agent for water treatment that provides revenue to the farmer. Our
goal is to begin field testing Camelina plants incorporating PHB in
the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons.”
Learn more about the 3rd International Conference on Plant
Synthetic Biology, Bioengineering and Biotechnology on the
conference website. On October 5, a copy of Dr. Snell’s slide deck
will be available on the Yield10 Bioscience investor relations
website.
Background on Camelina as a Cover Crop and the use of
PHB in Water Treatment Applications
Members of the PHA biopolymer family are of commercial interest
as natural, fully biodegradable replacements for plastics but also
have well-defined applications in water treatment where they act as
growth substrates for denitrifying bacteria normally present in
water systems. Food production today is dependent on improved crop
genetics and the use of fertilizers to provide essential nutrients.
The combination of nutrient run-off from crop production and
effluent from human and animal waste is causing nutrient pollution
of waterways around the world. As the world’s population increases,
the need to improve the sustainability of increasing food
production and managing nutrient pollution will also intensify.
To address this growing need, Yield10 is approaching the problem
at both the farm and the waste water treatment level. On the farm,
after the food crop has been harvested, cover crops can be planted
to absorb residual nutrients from the soil and reduce run-off into
waterways. Planting conventional cover crops, however, typically
results in a net reduction in farm income which is why they are not
widely planted particularly in times when farmers are struggling.
Yield10 is developing engineered Camelina to make new products,
including PHB, which have the potential to open new markets and
contribute an additional source of revenue for the farmer.
Specifically, the seed harvested from the Camelina cover crop could
be processed to produce PHB pellets, vegetable oil and animal feed,
providing a new economic incentive to farmers to plant cover
crops.
The PHB pellets would provide a natural, sustainable,
capital-light, cost-effective, zero waste, maintenance-free
approach to reducing nitrate levels in water systems. Yield10’s
economic analysis indicates that the costs associated with
producing PHB in crops could enable use of PHB in water treatment
to be significantly expanded from current niche markets for
aquarium water treatment into a range of waste-water treatment
applications, including septic systems and municipal water
treatment facilities. The key to realizing this opportunity, as
well as the longer-term plastics replacement application, is
developing sustainable, scalable, low-cost production systems for
PHB and other natural PHA biopolymers.
About Yield10
Bioscience
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is an agricultural bioscience company
which uses its “Trait Factory” to develop high value seed traits
for the agriculture and food industries to achieve step-change
improvements in crop yield to enhance global food security and
develop specialty crop products. Yield10 has an extensive track
record of innovation based around optimizing the flow of carbon in
living systems. The “Trait Factory” has two components: the “GRAIN”
computational modeling platform, which is used to identify specific
gene changes designed to improve crop performance, and the
deployment of those changes into crops using genome-editing or
traditional agricultural biotechnology approaches. The purpose of
the “Trait Factory” is to engineer precise alterations to gene
activity and the flow of carbon in plants to produce higher yields
with lower inputs of land, water or fertilizer. Yield10 is
advancing several yield traits it has developed in crops such as
canola, soybean, rice, wheat and corn. Yield10 is headquartered in
Woburn, MA and has an Oilseeds Center of Excellence in Saskatoon,
Canada.
For more information about the company, please visit
www.yield10bio.com. (YTEN-G)
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are
made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking
statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future
performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press
release which are not strictly historical, including, without
limitation, that the results of increased PHB levels in Camelina
plants represent a significant step towards sustainable low-cost
commercial production of PHB in plants; that Yield10’s recently
filed U.S. patent application for producing PHB in plants will
result in an issued patent; that Yield10’s products have the
potential to open new markets and contribute an additional source
of revenue for farmers; that the seed harvested from the Camelina
cover crop could be processed to produce PHB pellets, vegetable oil
and animal feed, and may provide a new economic incentive to
farmers to plant cover crops; that PHB pellets would provide a
beneficial approach to reducing nitrate levels in water systems;
and that the costs associated with producing PHB in crops could
enable use in water treatment to be significantly expanded from
current niche markets for aquarium water treatment into a range of
waste-water treatment applications, including septic systems and
municipal water treatment facilities, constitute forward-looking
statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number
of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those anticipated, including the risks and
uncertainties detailed in Yield10 Bioscience's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Yield10 assumes no obligation
to update any forward-looking information contained in this press
release or with respect to the matters described herein.
Contacts:Yield10
Bioscience:Lynne H. Brum, (617) 682-4693, LBrum@yield10bio.com
Investor Relations:Bret Shapiro, (561) 479-8566,
brets@coreir.comManaging Director, CORE IR
Media Inquiries:Eric Fischgrund, eric@fischtankpr.comFischTank
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