Des Moines, Iowa
March 6, 2003

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. will expand its opportunity to introduce traits into maize through a new agreement with Cellectis S.A. Under a licensing agreement, researchers at Pioneer, a subsidiary of DuPont headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, will assess a patented Meganuclease Recombination System (MRS) from Cellectis for use in trait development.

MRS is a Cellectis technology based on the use of the Meganuclease I-Sce I, a highly specific restriction endonuclease. Pioneer researchers will use this technology to stimulate homologous recombination, which could lead to faster, more efficient processes for incorporating new traits into products. Homologous recombination is a naturally occurring process in which a segment of DNA is substituted for another segment.

"The combination of these technologies, Pioneer's superior germplasm and the leadership we have shown in gene targeting will provide our researchers with significant advantages," said Tony Cavalieri, vice president and director, Trait and Technology Development. "We will expand and deepen our understanding of homologous recombination, which could lead to improved product performance and development of new products for our customers."

"The technology has been validated in model plants such as Arabidopsis and tobacco," said Dr. Andre Choulika, president and CEO of Cellectis. "We are very pleased to have this agreement with Pioneer and to have the opportunity for applying our system to a major crop."

Cellectis S.A. was founded in 1999, as a spin-off from the Pasteur Institute. It is the first company to apply the Meganuclease Recombination System approach to in vivo genome engineering. Cellectis is focused on the research and development of novel Meganucleases for genome intervention and provides tools for in vivo site directed recombination. The company is developing Meganucleases that can target a unique DNA break in vivo, as a fundamentally enabling technology for commercial applications in human therapeutics, pharmaceutical discovery, agriculture and industrial biotechnology.
Cellectis' team today consists of 36 people including 18 Ph.D.s. The total invested capital since the company's inception is approximately EUR 20 million.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics, crop protection solutions and quality crop systems to customers in nearly 70 countries. DuPont is a science company headquartered in Wilmington, Del. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation, apparel, home and textiles.