Hayward, California
January 9, 2009
Monsanto Company (“Monsanto”) announced earlier this week
that it has advanced its higher yielding soybean trait, sourced
from Mendel Biotechnology,
Inc. (“Mendel”), into its Phase III development stage. The
technology was identified and developed through a research
program funded by Monsanto, designed to leverage Mendel’s
expertise in regulatory pathways and network biology. The two
companies have worked together for over a decade on the
development of biotechnology-based traits for Monsanto’s row
crops seed business, and the companies continue to collaborate
to develop high-value traits.
“We are delighted that one of our traits has reached this
advanced stage in Monsanto’s commercial pipeline, which
underscores the commercial viability and success of this
project, and validates our long term R&D strategy focused on
understanding gene networks that control important plant
traits,” said Neal Gutterson, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Mendel. “Monsanto is the acknowledged global leader
in the development and commercialization of high-value,
sustainable agricultural seed products. We are very excited to
be a developer and provider of trait technologies for them.”
“Monsanto is committed to providing farmers with higher grain
yields to help support the world’s growing demand for food, feed
and fuel,” said Steve Padgette, Vice President of Biotechnology
at Monsanto. “We are extremely pleased to see our long-term,
valued collaboration with Mendel deliver an important trait into
Phase III advanced commercial development.”
Higher yielding soybeans, which have demonstrated 6 percent to 7
percent yield increase across three seasons of testing in 56
field environments, are expected to be an important part of our
stacked soybean trait portfolio of the future, Padgette said.
“We also are excited about other Mendel genes being evaluated in
our R&D pipeline,” he said.
Mendel Biotechnology, Inc., has been a pioneer in the
application of functional genomics to the study of plant genes.
Mendel is also a pioneer for the production of dedicated energy
crops critical for second generation biofuels. Mendel has
identified and patented the use of genes that control many
aspects of plant growth and development, and is applying these
inventions to develop or co-develop new plant varieties with
improved productivity and quality. Mendel has relationships with
leading agricultural, energy, forestry and horticulture
companies for the commercialization of improved seed and plant
products, and is developing new seed and feedstock products for
the emerging bioenergy market. For more information, visit:
www.mendelbio.com.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy. To learn
more about our business and our commitments, please visit:
www.monsanto.com.
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