San Diego, California
June 18, 2008
Dow AgroSciences will
sublicense Sangamo's technology in plant agriculture under the
trademark EXZACT™ Precision Traits
Dow AgroSciences LLC, a
wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW),
announced today at the 2008 BIO International Convention that it
has exercised its option to obtain a commercial license to zinc
finger technology from Richmond, California-based
Sangamo BioSciences
(Nasdaq: SGMO). The license allows Dow AgroSciences to
commercialize products incorporating or developed from plant
cells using Sangamo's zinc finger DNA-binding protein (ZFP(TM))
technology, in agricultural crops, industrial products and
plant-derived biopharmaceuticals. Sangamo and Dow AgroSciences
have been collaborating in research to apply ZFP technology to
plants under a three-year research and commercial license option
agreement initiated in October 2005. Dow AgroSciences exercised
its commercial option four months before expiration of the
option period.
"We determined that we could exercise the option early in light
of the tremendous success of the research program in plants,"
said Jerome Peribere, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based
Dow AgroSciences. "The next generation of plant genetic
improvement will successfully bring new products to market by
reducing complexity and cutting the development time by one to
two years. The ZFP technology is unique because it allows for
precise gene modification and is widely applicable and extremely
adaptable. It has the potential to revolutionize agricultural
biotechnology and fundamentally change our industry."
In addition to developing its own new products using the ZFP
technology, Dow AgroSciences will sublicense the technology to
third parties for development of particular products under the
trademark name of EXZACT(TM) Precision Traits. The trademark
name emphasizes the specificity and the precision of the
technology. It can be used with precision to add new genetic
material, delete genes altogether and even regulate or edit
native genes.
"This is a very proud and important day for Sangamo
BioSciences," stated Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and
CEO. "With the expertise and vision of the Dow AgroSciences team
we have collectively demonstrated that our ZFP technology
provides a broad and robust platform for the development of new
foods, feeds, fibers and fuels. The application of zinc fingers
to improve food quality and quantity on less land and in a
sustainable manner is a cause to which we can now significantly
contribute. The list of traits that can be generated quickly and
precisely with zinc fingers is virtually limitless, and some of
the first under consideration for development include: healthier
cooking oils and many other improvements in nutritional content;
resistance to a broad range of insect pests and diseases;
enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and overall yields; as well
as plants custom-engineered for the biofuels industry."
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.
Sangamo BioSciences and Dow AgroSciences have demonstrated the
utility of ZFP transcription factors for the control of gene
expression in plants and the utility of ZFP nucleases for
precision gene modification and targeted gene insertion in
plants. 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 for crops for food and fuel.
Dow AgroSciences LLC (NYSE: DOW), based in Indianapolis,
Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company that combines
the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to
constantly improve what is essential to human progress. Dow
AgroSciences provides innovative technologies for crop
protection, pest and vegetation management, seeds, traits, and
agricultural biotechnology to serve the world's growing
population. Global sales for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned
subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, are $3.8 billion. Learn
more at http://www.dowagro.com.
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGMO) is focused on the
research and development of novel DNA-binding proteins for
therapeutic gene regulation and modification. The most advanced
ZFP Therapeutic(TM) development program is currently in Phase 2
clinical trials for evaluation of safety and clinical effect 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
stem cell mobilization, ALS, cancer, HIV/AIDS, neuropathic pain,
nerve regeneration, Parkinson's 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
TF(TM)) that can control gene expression and, consequently, cell
function. Sangamo is also developing sequence-specific ZFP
Nucleases (ZFN(TM)) for gene modification. Sangamo has
established strategic partnerships with companies outside of the
human therapeutic space including Dow AgroSciences,
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation and several companies applying its ZFP
Technology to enhance the production of protein pharmaceuticals.
For more information about Sangamo, visit the company’s web site
at http://www.sangamo.com
ZFP(TM)/ZFP TF(TM), ZFP Therapeutic(TM) and ZFN(TM) are all
trademarks of Sangamo Biosciences, Inc.
EXZACT(TM) Precision Traits is a trademark of Dow AgroSciences
LLC
About the EXZACT(TM) Precision Traits Trademark
The trademark name emphasizes the specificity and the precision
of the technology. It can be used with precision to add new
genetic material, delete genes altogether and even regulate or
edit native genes. The "Z" signifies the importance of the key
component -- ZFPs -- of the technology. The "green" that links
the "X" for precision with the "T" for traits contains a
transparent "arrow" which signifies the potential use of
EXZACT(TM) Precision Trait Technology to develop products which
contain no foreign DNA.
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