Rothamsted Research Grants Yield10 Bioscience an Exclusive, Global Commercial License to Advanced Technology for Producing Omega-3 Products in Camelina
June 17 2024 - 8:32AM
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (OTC:YTEN) (“Yield10” or the “Company”),
an agricultural bioscience company, today announced that U.K.-based
Rothamsted Research Limited (“Rothamsted”) has granted to the
Company an exclusive global, commercial license to advanced
technology for producing sustainable omega-3 products in Camelina
sativa (“Camelina”). Yield10 is executing a plan to use engineered
Camelina to commercially produce omega-3 oil and meal products
targeting the aquafeed, petfood, and nutritional markets for
omega-3 fatty acids. In consideration for the commercial license,
Yield10 is expected to pay certain license fees, future milestone
payments, and royalties based on commercialization of Rothamsted’s
omega-3 technology.
Producing omega-3 fatty acids in engineered Camelina may
represent a way to enable a predictable, land-based supply of
high-quality omega-3 oils to meet the growing global demand for
eicosapentaenoic acid (“EPA”) and docosahexaenoic acid (“DHA”).
Currently, the primary source of EPA and DHA is ocean-caught fish,
where omega-3 oil produced from anchovy harvest is the industry
benchmark. Over the last few years, there has been increasing
pressure on the supply of omega-3 oil due to over-fishing. The
potential market opportunity for omega-3 fatty acids produced in
Camelina includes use in pharmaceutical (ethyl-EPA) products,
dietary supplements, and food and feed ingredients.
“Over the last three years, the Yield10 team has provided us
with expertise and support as our team has advanced the development
of engineered Camelina from field testing to planting at multi-acre
scale to produce omega-3 oil,” said Professor Angela Karp,
Rothamsted director and chief executive officer. “Yield10’s
innovations and capabilities in Camelina are impressive and
successful commercialization of this technology could have
significant benefits, offering sustainable production of an oil
essential for nutrition and wellness to consumers, as well as
providing crop diversification to growers. We look forward to the
commercialization of omega-3 oil and meal products by Yield10 in
the years ahead.”
“Enabled by the Rothamsted technology, we are on a promising
path to commercializing elite omega-3 producing varieties of
Camelina that combine good agronomics in the field while also
producing high-value, high-purity omega-3 oils possessing very
attractive economics,” said Oliver Peoples, Ph.D., President and
Chief Executive Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “In 2024, we are
positioned to execute on the scale-up of omega-3 producing Camelina
and to submit key regulatory filings with the goal of being ready
for an initial commercial launch into the oil and meal markets. We
also look forward to improving the current Camelina varieties over
time particularly with the deployment of herbicide tolerance and
other performance traits.”
In late 2020, Yield10 began a collaboration with Rothamsted to
support Rothamsted’s Flagship Program to develop omega-3 oils in
Camelina. The advanced technology developed by Rothamsted enables
the sustainable, plant-based production of omega-3 nutritional oils
in Camelina. Over the last decade, the Rothamsted team, led by
Professor Johnathan Napier, Ph.D., Science Director, has
demonstrated the production of omega-3 oils in Camelina seed and
conducted evaluations of the oils in salmon feeding and human
clinical studies to demonstrate lipid lowering effects.
Recent Achievements in Yield10’s Omega-3 Camelina
Program
- In the spring of 2024, Yield10 planted omega-3 (EPA and
EPA+DHA) Camelina to scale up seed. Yield10 is also field testing
for the first time herbicide tolerant omega-3 Camelina lines to
guide selection of commercial quality lead and back-up lines.
- In the fall of 2023, Yield10 planted omega-3 (EPA) Camelina at
the 50 acre-scale in Chile to produce oil for use in business
development activities. The crop was harvested in early 2024.
- In March of 2024, USDA-APHIS provided a positive response to
the Company's announced filings for two requests for a Regulatory
Status Review (“RSR”) with USDA-APHIS's Biotechnology Regulatory
Services (BRS) under the SECURE Rule for proprietary elite Camelina
varieties containing genes enabling the plant to produce the EPA
and EPA+DHA components of omega-3 oil. Yield10 plans to conduct
seed scale-up activities with omega-3 Camelina in 2024. Omega-3
fatty acids are used in aquafeed as well as for nutraceutical and
pharmaceutical products.
- In November of 2023, USDA-APHIS determined that Yield10’s
glufosinate tolerant Camelina as well as its stacked herbicide
tolerant Camelina may be planted and bred in the United States in
response to two RSR packages submitted by Yield10.
- In October 2023, Yield10 announced it had signed a non-binding
Letter of Intent (“LOI”) with BioMar Group, a global aquafeed
producer, to form a partnership to commercialize Camelina
engineered to produce omega-3 oil for use as a high-quality
supplement to the scarce supply of marine long-chain fatty acids
used in aquafeed. The companies are working to develop a
collaborative program to bring this new source of high-quality EPA
and EPA+DHA omega-3 oils to the market.
About Rothamsted Research
Rothamsted Research is the longest-running agricultural research
institute in the world. We work from gene to field with a proud
history of ground-breaking discoveries, from crop treatment to crop
protection, from statistical interpretation to soils management. In
1843, our founders were the pioneers of modern agriculture, and we
are known for our imaginative science and our collaborative
influence on fresh thinking and farming practices. Through
independent science and innovation, Rothamsted has made significant
contributions to improving agri-food systems in the UK and
internationally. In terms of the institute’s economic contribution,
the cumulative impact of our work in the UK was calculated to
exceed £3000 million a year in 20151. Rothamsted Research is
strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council (BBSRC), with additional support from other
national and international funding streams, and from industry. It
is also supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust (LAT).
For more information, visit the Rothamsted website or follow on
X (formerly Twitter) @Rothamsted
About Yield10 Bioscience
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. ("Yield10" or the "Company") is an
agricultural bioscience company that is leveraging advanced
genetics to develop the oilseed Camelina sativa ("Camelina") as a
platform crop for large-scale production of sustainable seed
products. These seed products include feedstock oils for renewable
diesel and sustainable aviation biofuels; omega-3 (EPA and DHA+EPA)
oils for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and aquafeed applications;
and, in the future, PHA bioplastics for use as biodegradable
bioplastics. Subject to the availability of sufficient financial
resources to continue operations, our commercial plan is based on
establishing a grain contracting business leveraging our
proprietary elite Camelina seed varieties, focusing on the growing
demand for low-carbon intensity feedstock oil for biofuels and
omega-3 oils for nutritional applications. Yield10 is headquartered
in Woburn, MA and has a Canadian subsidiary, Yield10 Oilseeds Inc.,
located in Saskatoon, Canada.
For more information about the Company, please
visit www.yield10bio.com, or follow the Company on X
(formerly Twitter), Facebook 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, the development of EPA and EPA+DHA Camelina and the
performance and production capacity of the omega-3 production
technology, the potential for large-scale production of EPA8
Camelina, the future commercialization, potential market
opportunity, economic viability and further development of the
omega-3 varieties of Camelina and the omega-3 oils produced
therefrom, and the potential for the omega-3 production technology
to provide sustainable alternatives to existing means of omega-3
oil production, 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, but not
limited to, the Company’s ability to secure adequate funding in the
near term to continue operations, as to which no assurance can be
given, as well as 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:
Rothamsted Research: James Clarke, Head of
Communications+44 7964 832719, james.clarke@rothamsted.ac.uk
Yield10
Bioscience:Lynne H. Brum, (617)
682-4693, LBrum@yield10bio.com
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