Monsanto and Nomad Bioscience Announce Collaboration on Gene-Editing Research for Next-Generation Agriculture Solutions

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) and Nomad Bioscience GmbH have announced a
licensing agreement whereby Monsanto has obtained rights to apply
Nomad’s proprietary technology to its genome-editing projects aimed at
enhancement of agricultural crops. The licensed technology enables more
efficient development of edited traits and may be applied across a broad
range of genome-editing technologies and project types. Nomad’s novel
approach holds the promise to accelerate the development of improved
agricultural products via genome editing.
“Our approach greatly increases both the efficiency of genome editing
and the ability to deploy edited traits in commercial varieties, which
could prove to be beneficial to the speed and scale at which potential
products are developed,” said Dr. Yuri Gleba, chief executive officer
and Nomad founder.
The agreement includes a three-year research project, during which
scientists at Nomad will continue to expand the applicability of their
technology. In addition, the agreement provides Monsanto with rights to
use Nomad’s technology for research projects during the term, as well as
an option for an exclusive commercial license to apply the proprietary
technology in the development of agriculture products. Additional
details of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Monsanto is committed to delivering best-in-class solutions to growers
who face increasing challenges every year,” said Tom Adams,
biotechnology lead for Monsanto. “Our collaboration with Nomad is one
example of how we employ the industry’s best science through our own R&D
pipeline and through strategic partnerships to continually drive
agriculture innovation.”
Gene-editing technologies offer a way for scientists to develop
site-directed integration of specific genes as well as the opportunity
to enhance beneficial or remove undesired plant characteristics.
Monsanto believes that genome-editing technologies will enable plant
breeders to deliver better hybrids and varieties more efficiently, as
well as offer plant scientists additional resources to deliver new
improvements in plant biotechnology.
Nomad is a privately-held biotechnology company headquartered in Munich,
Germany.
About Nomad Bioscience GmbH
Nomad Bioscience, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is a private
biotechnology company developing plant-made biomaterials and agronomic
traits that address critical unmet needs. Nomad’s plant-based transient
protein expression technologies are licensed to several companies for a
broad range of products. Nomad’s biomaterial pipeline consists of
several selected product candidates, including plant-made cellulase
enzymes for bioethanol production and antimicrobial proteins, including
colicins, lysins and other bacteriocins, for food safety and human and
animal health use.
About Monsanto Company
Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help
nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and
key crops – such as corn, soybeans, and cotton – that help farmers have
better harvests while using water and other important resources more
efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help
farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural
resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from
pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate
with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and
others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn
more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated
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