22nd Century Group Achieves Breakthrough Hemp/Cannabis GMO Technology; Granted New Patent for Controlling Genes Responsible f...
December 17 2020 - 10:10AM
22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE American: XXII), a leading
plant-based, biotechnology company focused on tobacco harm
reduction, very low nicotine content tobacco, and hemp/cannabis
research, announced today that it was granted a new U.S. patent
related to the control of cannabinoid and terpene production in
plants. This new intellectual property exclusively provides 22nd
Century with unique and powerful tools to alter the cannabinoid
biosynthesis pathway in hemp/cannabis plants.
"We are delighted to receive this patent, which is the result of
work carried out by our own scientists. This important, new
technology will allow us to genetically modify hemp/cannabis plants
to modulate their cannabinoid and terpene profiles in order to
tailor these plants’ therapeutic qualities and enhance the
consumer’s hemp/cannabis experience," said Juan Sanchez Tamburrino,
Ph.D., vice president of research & development at 22nd Century
Group. "Our patent application describes eight promoters, which are
essentially molecular on/off switches, covering all of the major
steps in the cannabinoid biosynthesis pathway. Typically,
developing hemp/cannabis plants with new cannabinoid or terpene
profiles could take 10 to 20 years using traditional breeding
methods. Now, with the combined technologies and know-how of 22nd
Century and KeyGene, we expect to shorten the development timeline
to create new, differentiated, hemp/cannabis plant lines in just 4
to 5 years. Doing so will provide the Company and its potential
licensees and customers with significant competitive advantage as
hemp/cannabis continues to penetrate the life science, consumer
product, and pharmaceutical markets.”
“At 22nd Century Group, we take a scientific and
solutions-oriented approach to advancing ground-breaking,
plant-based technology. We are excited to secure this patent, and
we believe that it demonstrates our unique and leading role in
plant science innovation within the $100 billion global
hemp/cannabis market,” said James A. Mish, chief executive officer
of 22nd Century Group.
The new patent, published as U.S. Patent No. 10,787,674 B2 and
entitled "Trichome specific promoters for the manipulation of
cannabinoids and other compounds in glandular trichomes," enables
22nd Century to develop and deliver new hemp/cannabis plants that
are designed to produce cannabinoids more efficiently. The Company
can potentially increase the yield of plants, stabilize the level
of cannabinoids that are produced, and create custom cannabinoid
profiles optimized for specific therapeutic uses. 22nd Century will
also be able to potentially modulate the terpene levels within the
plant – increasing them to deliver new strains of cannabis for the
adult-use/recreational market and reducing them to remove the odor
and taste for improved application in foods and beverages.
Cannabinoids, such as CBD, CBC, and CBG, are valuable compounds
that hold great promise for the development of new medicines and
other therapeutic applications. Cannabis sativa is the only plant
species that produces significant amounts of these compounds
including more than one hundred different cannabinoids in varying
quantities. In nature, cannabis plants restrict production of these
potentially toxic compounds to the trichomes which are tiny
hair-like stems and globes that grow on the surface of the plant.
To successfully manipulate cannabinoids, the Company’s new
technology activates molecular promoters, “on/off switches,”
specifically and only in the plant’s trichomes where the majority
of cannabinoids are produced. These regulatory sequences
dynamically enhance or restrict gene expression levels, controlling
the expression of genetic information that leads to the production
of cannabinoids.
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. 22nd Century’s primary mission in tobacco is to reduce
the harm caused by smoking through the Company’s proprietary
reduced nicotine content tobacco cigarettes – containing 95% less
nicotine than conventional cigarettes. The Company’s primary
mission in hemp/cannabis is to develop and commercialize
proprietary hemp/cannabis plants with valuable cannabinoid profiles
and desirable agronomic traits.
Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on
Twitter @_xxiicentury and on LinkedIn.
Cautionary Note Regarding
Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for historical
information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions
contained in this press release are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as
“anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,”
“intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,”
“preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,”
“should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Actual results
may differ materially from those explicit or implicit in
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors”
in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 11, 2020
and on Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. All information provided in
this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise, except as required by law.
Investor Relations & Media
Contact:Mei KuoDirector, Communications & Investor
Relations22nd Century Group, Inc.(716)
300-1221mkuo@xxiicentury.com
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