Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina
August 15, 2007
Corn plants featuring a new class
of genes discovered by
Athenix Corporation have shown that they can withstand at
least eight times the standard field rate of glyphosate
recommended for currently available glyphosate-tolerant corn,
new field trial results confirm.
Even after being sprayed with glyphosate at such a high rate,
corn plants in the trials display absolutely no signs of injury.
The results show great promise for giving corn growers a broader
margin of safety in using the popular glyphosate herbicide, said
Mike Koziel, president and CEO of Athenix, a leading
biotechnology company developing novel products, technologies
and processes for agricultural and industrial applications.
"Our new genes provide the highest levels of glyphosate
tolerance available," said Koziel, adding that corn lines
containing these genes also survived multiple sprays at
different stages of their life cycle. "We are moving this
product through development and registration as quickly as
possible."
This new class of glyphosate-tolerant genes encodes enzymes
capable of providing high levels of tolerance to glyphosate, and
Athenix has filed for broad patent protection of their
technology. The company expects to submit a regulatory package
in the U.S. for corn containing one of its new genes in late
2008. These genes are also being introduced into soybeans for
the production of herbicide-tolerant lines which will soon be
available for testing.
"Athenix is committed to providing growers with the most
advanced trait stacks," said Nick Duck, Athenix vice president
of research. "New trait stacks -- such as this new
glyphosate-tolerant gene combined with our nematode and insect
resistance technologies -- are vital for helping growers meet
increasing production needs. Corn plants with these new genes
demonstrate improved resistance and vigor to glyphosate
applications, which could result in increased yields while
maintaining outstanding weed control at recommended spray rates.
"Athenix continues to demonstrate the high efficacy of its
proprietary genes in plants under field conditions. These trials
confirm that Athenix has commercial quality traits and lines and
the company continues to move these products quickly towards
commercialization," added Nadine Carozzi, Athenix vice president
of product development.
Athenix is a leading biotechnology company that develops
novel products and technologies for agricultural and industrial
applications, including biofuels and bioconversions. Athenix has
established an outstanding intellectual property portfolio and
market access ability around enhanced plants, microbes, genes,
enzymes, and processes with emphasis on two major markets: 1)
novel agricultural traits for growers such as insect resistance,
nematode resistance, herbicide tolerance, and their use for the
crop production industry; and 2) the discovery of genes and
proteins for use in the sustainable chemical industry with a
focus on biofuels like ethanol and other natural products. |
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