Monsanto and Evogene Collaborate on Yield and Stress Research
31 August 2008
Monsanto Company and Israel-based Evogene Ltd. have entered into a five-year research and development collaboration focused on identifying key plant genes related to yield, environmental stress and fertilizer utilization. The agreement is intended to enhance research efforts to discover and deliver novel, yield-enhancing technologies at a time of increasing demand for grain globally.
Monsanto believes this new collaboration will help support its commitment to double yields in its core crops by 2030 and strengthen its ongoing work with Evogene. In September of 2007, the two companies announced a collaboration to improve nitrogen use efficiency in corn, soybeans, canola and cotton.
We have been very impressed with Evogene’s discovery capabilities, particularly their computer-based, predictive biology efforts. We look forward to building upon our strong relationship with Evogene to deliver products to farmers’ fields that help meet the needs for increased food, fiber and energy while protecting the environment.
—Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s Chief Technology Officer
Under the terms of this collaboration:
Evogene will provide Monsanto with candidate genes discovered by Evogene’s computational platform that are predicted to improve yield, fertilizer utilization and a plant’s reaction to environmental stress. The genes will be validated in model plants.
The collaboration will provide Monsanto access to new genes strengthening its entire gene discovery program. Monsanto will receive exclusive licensing rights to such genes in a number of crops, including corn, soybean, canola, and cotton.
Monsanto will evaluate the licensed genes in its research and development pipeline. Products that emerge from the joint development will be commercialized by Monsanto through its branded and licensed businesses.
Evogene expects to receive approximately $35 million over the research term of the collaboration in the form of an upfront payment and annual research payments, in consideration for the performance of the research.
Evogene is also entitled to development milestone and royalty payments based on sales of any resulting products.
In a separate agreement, Monsanto has purchased an $18 million (USD) equity stake in Evogene and has agreed to purchase an additional $12 million in the future, subject to certain Evogene diligence requirements.
Evogene is a developer of improved plants for the ag-biotech and biofuel industries. The company’s proprietary product development platform combines computational gene discovery technologies, plant and field validation capabilities and unique selection systems. The platform’s computational biology component—the ATHLETE&madsh;is based on Compugen’s in-silico predictive discovery capabilities.
Evogene’s current programs focus on yield under normal and various environmental stress conditions (such as drought), fertilizer utilization and the improvement of plants specifically for biofuel uses.
I eagerly await a GM car covered with green GM plants.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 31 August 2008 at 10:15 AM
This is great work. We should all be happy to see this turn in agribusiness. The focus is now not only to increase yields, it is to do it with less h2o and chemicals. This will be a HUGE benefit to our global environment. There are risks with GM seed, however over the last 10 plus years of production they have proved a safe and very good way of improving crop yields. We snobby food hippies here in the USA and EU can complain all we want about the quality of the food, but the rest of the world needs more quantity to survive. Or we can heartlessly say as it was "if they have no bread let them eat cake".
Posted by: jayson | 31 August 2008 at 11:12 AM
Arthur C. Clarke’s great quote;
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Can be interpreted, with less political correctness, as;
“Any technology sufficiently advanced, as compared to the observer’s knowledge, is indistinguishable from magic.”
I believe this can be reasonably expanded to; “Any sufficiently advanced technology is feared.” i.e. the technology’s ramifications, if unknown or misunderstood, are feared.
Those who fear GM may have some cause for fear, but I believe rational experts DO understand the ramifications and they are low risk.
As our economies slow, will jayson’s USA and EU GM bashing food hippies fade away ?
Posted by: ToppaTom | 31 August 2008 at 12:00 PM
But Monsanto's legal persecution of their technology's victims who they contaminate with their 'unwanted' genes have sh*t on their own case.
**soles like that are heir own worst enemy.
To be completely fair, include gene patenters and nature and culture thieves.
Posted by: arnold | 01 September 2008 at 04:29 AM
We don't need more yield from Frankenplants we need population controls. 1900 1.5 billion people, 2000 6 billion people, 2100 12-24 billion people. Only China has had the courage to limit population growth. Unchecked population growth leads to population crashes. That'll be a good thing for the planet not so good if your a member of the population.
Posted by: calaw1 | 01 September 2008 at 08:32 AM
Rigth on calaw1.
We need to stop forcing people to eat GM foods. And how long will China be the only country that has such real freedoms as allowing families to have less than 2 kids.
In America we let GM force people to buy big cars, McDonalds to force them to eat too much. And someone forces us to speed and eat too much. Probably the gene patenters and nature and culture thieves
Only calaw1 (and maybe China and arnold) have the courage to set us free.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 01 September 2008 at 10:43 PM
I wasn't thinking so much of eating GM as the pollen contamination to neighbouring farmers fields by gm genes, which have been he subject of court cases brought by Monsanto against innocent 'vitims'.
Personally I see the potential of the science, but there is sound reasoning behind a large opinion of caution and the reported activities of certain corporations is the most damaging to themselves.
Posted by: arnold | 03 September 2008 at 12:56 AM