Yield10 Bioscience Submits "Am I Regulated?" Letter to USDA-APHIS BRS for CRISPR Genome-Edited C3007 in Camelina to Pave the ...
January 16 2020 - 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 it has submitted an "Am I Regulated?" letter to USDA-APHIS's
Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) to confirm that the use of
CRISPR genome-edited trait C3007 in Camelina sativa plant lines for
increased oil content does not meet the definition of a regulated
article under 7 CFR Part 340 regulations. Once regulatory status of
the plants is confirmed, Yield10 plans to conduct field tests of
CRISPR genome-edited Camelina plants in the United States.
“We have applied considerable effort and resources into the
discovery and early development of a portfolio of novel traits with
the potential to increase oil content in oilseed crops,” said Dr.
Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Yield10 Bioscience.
“The creation of a CRISPR genome-edited version of C3007 in
Camelina and its progression toward field testing represents an
important milestone in our development program. Initial studies
with C3007 have been promising and we look forward to testing the
trait under field conditions to evaluate the impact this unique
trait may have on boosting oil content.”
“Yield10 is transitioning from a company that is developing
innovative technologies designed to address global food security
through discoveries related to crop yield, into a company that is
also developing crop-based products and assets that our peers in
the industry deem of high commercial interest,” said Dr. Oliver
Peoples, Chief Executive Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “We believe
there is considerable potential for C3007 and, more broadly,
technologies that enhance oil biosynthesis which would provide an
economic boost to the production of food, energy and livestock
feeds.”
Yield10 licensed C3007 from the University of Missouri (“MU”) in
mid-2018. The protein encoded by C3007, also known as BADC, is a
novel, negative regulator of the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase
(ACCase), the key enzyme for producing fatty acids for oil
biosynthesis. In pilot studies conducted by MU researchers,
reducing activity of the protein encoded by C3007 resulted in
significantly increased oil content in seeds. Yield10
researchers have now successfully used CRISPR to reduce the
activity of C3007 in Camelina and have seen clear evidence of
increased oil content in some lines in laboratory studies. The use
of CRISPR may enable an expedited timeline for development and
commercialization within the U.S. market based on obtaining
confirmation that USDA-APHIS does not consider the lines to be
regulated pursuant to 7 CFR part 340. The lines may still be
subject to regulation by EPA or FDA.
The CRISPR edited C3007 trait could deliver significant economic
value by changing the value equation for the commercialization of
identity preserved, specialty oilseed crops where the key
value-driver is oil content with improved nutritional profiles or
oils, modified for aquaculture feed or industrial markets. These
traits may also be used to increase production of edible oils in
major oilseed crops such as soybean and canola.
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, 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 the website
and follow the Company on Twitter and LinkedIn. (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 ability to achieve a
nonregulated status from USDA-APHIS for genome-edited Camelina, the
ability of C3007 to increase oil content in oilseed crops and to
deliver economic value in other areas, and the possibility of using
genome-editing technology to rapidly deploy desirable, novel traits
into commercial agricultural crops, 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.com FischTank
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