St. Louis, Missouri
November 5, 2007
Scientists at
Monsanto Company working
in collaboration with Devgen NV,
have identified an innovative and precise approach to protect
crops against insects, which models a novel application of a
Nobel Prize winning discovery. The technology is expected to
provide farmers with a new in-the-seed option to protect crop
yields and present another tool to support agriculture's mission
of meeting the world's growing food, feed and fuel demands.
The results of the companies' research were published in the
November edition of the peer-reviewed scientific journal
Nature
Biotechnology. The published scientific paper is a result of
both individual work at Monsanto and Devgen as well as a
collaborative research and development effort between Monsanto
and Devgen.
The enabling technology, called RNA interference or RNAi, is a
biological mechanism found in nature as a way to regulate gene
expression. Monsanto identified novel applications of RNAi,
enabling plants to be better protected against insect pests that
feed on crops and impact yield.
"RNA interference is an incredibly promising method for crop
improvement overall," said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., Monsanto
executive vice president and chief technology officer. "Because
of its specificity, this exciting technology can help us in
areas of plant science that until now have simply not been
possible."
"This technology has the ability to effectively control very
specific plant pests," said Thierry Bogaert, CEO of Devgen.
"This is a breakthrough in crop protection."
The research is expected to allow scientists to harness the
cell's natural ability to regulate protein production and apply
it to produce insect protection for the plant. Monsanto
scientists are working on incorporating this promising
application of RNAi into one of the company's future
insect-protected corn projects.
"Future products in our research-and-development pipeline such
as those with corn rootworm protection could use RNAi as an
important complimentary technology to Bt by allowing two
different ways to control corn rootworm,"
said Fraley. "Offering farmers yet another way to protect corn
against insects allows them the expanded ability to produce
higher yielding crops that can support our world's growing food,
fuel, and feed needs."
The 2006 Nobel Prize was awarded to Andrew Fire at Stanford
University and Craig Mello at University of Massachusetts for
their discovery of naturally occurring RNAi processes in
animals.
To see a copy of the study published today in the journal Nature
Biotechnology describing the research in RNAi to control insect
pests, please visit
http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality.
Devgen is a top 10 public agro biotech company with agricultural
business units focused on developing and commercializing:
- a novel generation of
biotech products to protect a wide spectrum of crops from
damage incurred from pests;
- biotech traits and
germplasm to meet the growing needs for high yielding, high
quality hybrid rice and selected small grains in India and
S.E. Asia;
- safer and more
environmentally friendly agro-chemical products to protect
crops from damage inflicted by plant parasitic nematodes.
Devgen and Monsanto have an R&D
agreement in place committing funding from Monsanto for Devgen's
research and is coupled with an agreement which broadens the
relationship so that both companies can explore technology
applications in their crop areas of interest.
Devgen's biopharmaceutical division develops a new class of
preclinical drug candidates, based on novel therapeutic
concepts, for treatment of a range of inflammatory and metabolic
disease (diabetes, obesity) and arrhythmia.
Devgen has entered into partnerships with industry leaders in
biotechnology and agro chemistry. Incorporated in 1997, Devgen
has offices in Ghent (Belgium), Singapore and Hyderabad (India),
with a total work force of about 100 people. Devgen is listed on
Eurolist by Euronext Brussels (ticker: DEVG) since June 2005.
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