Yield10 Bioscience Initiates Early Development Program in Corn to Evaluate Novel Traits
January 22 2019 - 8:30AM
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN), a Company developing new
technologies to create step-change improvements in crop yield that
enhance global food security, announced today that it has
initiated an early development program in corn to evaluate novel
seed yield and drought tolerance traits. Corn is the highest value
commercial row crop grown in the United States.
Under this program, novel traits discovered by Yield10 will be
deployed in corn by a third-party agriculture company with proven
expertise introducing new traits into corn. This aspect of the
development activity is expected to be completed in early 2020.
Yield10 plans to engage an additional third-party to conduct field
testing of the novel traits in corn to evaluate the impact on seed
yield.
“Historically, advances in corn seed yield have been based on
the development of hybrids and crop protection strategies that
prevent yield losses caused by the presence of excessive weeds or
insect pests,” said Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of
Yield10 Bioscience. “Our approach complements these strategies as
we are now introducing into corn a number of our traits that have
shown promise to boost inherent seed yield. We are excited about
extending our trait development activities into corn and look
forward to identifying high performing yield traits for this
important commercial row crop.”
Corn is planted on approximately 90 million acres and is the
highest value crop in the United States. Harvests from recent years
have been approximately 15 billion bushels, worth approximately $50
billion. Improving seed yield in corn would increase revenue for
growers and contribute to global food security.
“The start of our development program in corn is a key milestone
for Yield10 as it places us on the path toward commercialization of
our novel yield traits in this important crop,” said Oliver
Peoples, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “Our
strategy is to leverage third-party resources to access development
capabilities in corn and other crops including soybean, sorghum and
wheat. This approach enables us to significantly expand the
development of our novel traits across multiple crops, a strategy
we believe will continue to generate key proof points in crops of
high commercial interest. Every acre in which our traits add
value represents an additional source of potential revenue. Should
our novel traits show promise in corn, we will be well-positioned
to pursue licensing opportunities with agricultural industry
leaders.”
The yield traits included in the corn development program are
C3003, C3004, and C3011, as well as the transcription factors
C4001, C4002, and C4003. C3003, a gene found in algae, has produced
encouraging improvements in seed yield in oilseed crops. The trait
C3004 will also be evaluated in corn, based on encouraging seed
yield results obtained in Camelina. C3011 is a new trait developed
in Yield10’s GRAIN gene discovery platform. The Company previously
reported that the C4000 series of traits, which include global
regulatory genes, or global transcription factors (“GTFs”), can
significantly increase photosynthesis and biomass yield in studies
utilizing switchgrass as a model crop. Biotech traits based on
microbial genes, as well as plant gene traits, which have the
potential to be non-regulated by deploying them using cis-genic or
CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing approaches, will be tested in Yield10’s
corn program.
About Yield10
Bioscience
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is focused on developing new
technologies to achieve step-change improvements in crop yield to
enhance global food security. Yield10 has an extensive track record
of innovation based around optimizing the flow of carbon in living
systems. Yield10 leverages its technology platforms and
unique knowledge base to design 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 key commercial
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, statements regarding the Company's intentions with
regard to achieving the research objectives in the corn program,
including its ability to produce new varieties of corn that are
higher yielding and/or drought tolerant, continuing to generate key
proof points in crops of high commercial interest, the potential
for additional plant gene traits to be non-regulated, the timing
for completion of the first steps in the early development program
in corn, and the pursuit of licensing opportunities for corn,
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 announcements described herein.
Contacts: Yield10
Bioscience:Lynne H. Brum, (617) 682-4693, LBrum@yield10bio.com
Investor Relations Contact: Bret Shapiro, 561-479-8566,
brets@coreir.comManaging Director, CORE IR
Media Inquiries:Eric Fischgrund,
eric@fischtankpr.comFischTank Marketing and PR
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