Indianapolis, Indiana and
Richmond, California
June 19, 2007
Dow AgroSciences LLC and
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) today announced the
successful completion of research milestones as part of their
joint Research and Commercial License Agreement. These
milestones represent the successful application of Sangamo’s
zinc finger DNA-binding protein (ZFP) technology to the
generation of specific traits in two major crop species - maize
and canola.
“Our collaboration with Sangamo has been extremely positive, and
we continue to be very excited by the precision and promise of
this technology”,” said Dan Kittle, vice president, Research and
Development for Dow AgroSciences. “These milestones demonstrate
the ability of ZFP Nucleases (ZFNsTM) to act precisely at their
intended target in canola and corn, crops of commercial
importance, not model systems, and represent the first
demonstration of the precise placement of a gene of interest
into a specific native gene in maize. This is a development that
has potentially significant impact on the cost and timelines of
generating crop products with new and improved traits. In
addition, Sangamo’s technology holds the potential to enable
gene editing of native traits and up- and down-regulation of
genes to influence metabolic profiles of plants. Everything that
we have seen and everything that we have done only reinforces
our enthusiasm and commitment to this technology.”
“Our ZFP technology can be used to specifically regulate and
modify genes,” said Philip Gregory, D. Phil., Sangamo’s vice
president of research. “We have already demonstrated the utility
of our ZFN ‘genome editing’ technology in human cells. Moreover,
this technology has the unique advantage of generating the
desired trait outcomes without needing to be permanently present
in the modified cells. In applying engineered ZFNs to crop
plants, Dow AgroSciences scientists have built upon our
experience in developing ZFP technology for human therapeutics
and accomplished a series of ‘scientific firsts.’”
These milestones include the first demonstration of ZFN-mediated
targeted integration of DNA into a native gene in maize and the
first demonstration of targeting a native gene in canola with
ZFNs.
Sangamo scientists recently published data [in Proceedings of
the National Academy (PNAS (2007) 104: 3055)] demonstrating the
introduction of a “gene-sized fragment” of DNA into a specific
location in the human genome via ZFN-mediated targeted gene
addition. Dow AgroSciences scientists have similarly used
Sangamo-designed ZFNs to successfully target native genes in
crops with extraordinary molecular precision.
”Dow AgroSciences has had the foresight to recognize the power
of our ZFP technology and the expertise to implement it
successfully into its precision trait development program," said
Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and chief executive
officer. "In our research partnership we are rapidly developing
innovative applications in plant biotechnology.”
The three-year agreement initiated October 2005, provides Dow
AgroSciences with access to Sangamo’s proprietary ZFP technology
for the development of products in plants and plant cell
cultures. During the initial three-year research term, Dow
AgroSciences has the option to obtain a commercial license to
sell products incorporating or derived from plant cells
generated using Sangamo’s ZFP technology, including agricultural
crops, industrial products and plant-derived biopharmaceuticals.
ZFPs are the dominant class of naturally occurring transcription
factors in organisms from yeast to humans. Transcription
factors, which are found in the nucleus of every cell, bind to
DNA to regulate gene expression. The ability to selectively
control specific genes is emerging as a critical tool in modern
biotechnology. Though there are many kinds of transcription
factors, only ZFPs are amenable to engineering and precise
targeting to a particular gene or genes of interest. By
engineering ZFPs that recognize a specific DNA sequence Sangamo
scientists have created ZFP transcription factors (ZFP TFs™)
that can control gene expression and consequently, cell
function. For example, Sangamo has demonstrated that plant oils
can be improved using ZFP TFs.
Sangamo has also developed sequence-specific ZFNs™ for precision
gene modification and targeted gene insertion. These
technologies have the potential to play a major role in bringing
new discoveries in genomics forward to the marketplace. The use
of Sangamo’s ZFP technology to enable the efficient and
reproducible generation of combinations or stacks of multiple
traits and the insertion of new traits could address increasing
demand.
Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is
a top tier agricultural company providing innovative crop
protection, seeds, and biotechnology solutions to serve the
world's growing population. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow
Chemical Company, global sales for Dow AgroSciences are $3.4
billion.
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. is
focused on the research and development of novel DNA-binding
proteins for therapeutic gene regulation and modification. The
most advanced ZFP TherapeuticTM development program is currently
in Phase 2 clinical trials for evaluation of safety in patients
with diabetic neuropathy. Phase 1 clinical trials are ongoing to
evaluate a ZFP Therapeutic for peripheral artery disease. Other
therapeutic development programs are focused on cancer and
HIV/AIDS, neuropathic pain, nerve regeneration, ischemic heart
disease and monogenic diseases. Sangamo’s core competencies
enable the engineering of a class of DNA-binding proteins known
as zinc finger DNA-binding proteins (ZFPs). By engineering ZFPs
that recognize a specific DNA sequence Sangamo has created ZFP
transcription factors (ZFP TFTM) that can control gene
expression and, consequently, cell function. Sangamo is also
developing sequence-specific ZFP Nucleases (ZFNTM) for
therapeutic gene modification as a treatment for a variety of
monogenic diseases, such as X-linked SCID and hemophilia, and
for infectious diseases, such as HIV. A portion of Sangamo’s
research in plant agriculture is supported by an Advanced
Technology Program (ATP) grant awarded by the National Institute
of Standards and Technology. Sangamo has also established
several Enabling Technology Agreements with companies to apply
its ZFP Technology to enhance the production of protein
pharmaceuticals.
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