December 11, 2002ViaLactia
Biosciences (NZ) Limited, a participant in New Zealand’s
pastoral industries consortium, Pastoral Genomics, and
Orion Genomics LLC
today announced their genomics alliance dedicated to improving
forage and crop plants.
This is Orion Genomics’ second such alliance with ViaLactia
Biosciences. The new alliance focuses on the pasture
plant, white clover, one of the most prolific broadleaf forage
plants worldwide and builds on their first research alliance, a
forage grass initiative begun last year, which continues to
amass the necessary tools to improve the pasture and row crop
industries.
Pastoral Genomics and Orion will leverage Orion’s proprietary
GeneThresher™ technology, originally developed by Orion founders
and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory researchers, to sequence and
identify the complete gene set of white clover. They will then
develop specialized genome research tools including DNA
microchips, genetic markers (SNPs) and gene pathway databases.
Pastoral Genomics, using conventional selective breeding
methods, will use these tools to achieve more rapid and precise
forage plant improvements in areas such as increased
digestibility and protein content. Orion will leverage
discoveries to make improvements in forage plants, including
increased tolerance to stress and higher yield in row crops such
as corn, wheat and soybean. This is Orion’s fourth major plant
genome project.
"The consortium is extremely pleased to be entering this
alliance with Orion," said Colin South, CEO of ViaLactia
Biosciences.
"In ViaLactia’s previous programme, GeneThresher™ technology
was unsurpassed and, in fact, exceeded our expectations.
Understanding the genome of a legume will propel our advanced
forage science program and will enhance our product
development."
Kieran Elborough, Chief Scientist (Forage) at ViaLactia,
added: "Pasture plants are a vital natural resource for the
dairy and meat industries of New Zealand and provide the key to
increasing our exports worldwide. We have a responsibility
to further develop New Zealand’s biotechnology focus on
agriculture and we will therefore make the clover GeneThresher™
database available to all New Zealand academics early in the New
Year."
"Orion's GeneThresher™ discovery platform, our first
generation DNA methylation technology, separates repetitive
'junk DNA' from genes and enables cost effective and
comprehensive gene discovery in plants," said Nathan Lakey,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Orion Genomics.
The participants of the pastoral industries consortium are
ViaLactia Biosciences (a wholly owned subsidiary of
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited, Agritech Investments
Limited (the New Zealand Meat Board’s biotechnology research
subsidiary), AgResearch Limited (a leading New Zealand life
sciences company) and DEEResearch (Deer Industry New Zealand’s
research subsidiary).
More information on Pastoral Genomics’ participants can be
found at:
Orion Genomics, LLC, located at the Center for Emerging
Technologies in St. Louis, Missouri, is a biotechnology company
focusing on the role of DNA methylation in the life sciences.
Orion's first commercial technology, GeneThresher™, provides
rapid discovery of genes responsible for important agronomic
traits in crops such as corn, wheat and soybean at a fraction of
the cost and time of alternative gene discovery methods.
