Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
April 9th, 2010

Precision BioSciences Inc., announced today that Bayer CropScience and Precision BioSciences have successfully modified plant genomes using Precision’s Directed Nuclease Editor™ (DNE) technology.

During the initial research phase of the partnership, scientists at Bayer CropScience used a pair of engineered meganucleases produced by Precision to target the insertion and removal of DNA at two pre-determined locations in a plant genome.

Precision’s DNE technology, which is based on the rational production of “custom” DNA-cleaving enzymes called “meganucleases,” enables crop researchers to delete, insert, or otherwise modify genes at user-defined endogenous sites within plant genomes. By facilitating the direct introduction of favorable traits into plant species, the technology can streamline product development and reduce the time it takes to get a product to market.

Bayer CropScience has now elected to extend its research and commercial partnership with Precision BioSciences. Under this extended agreement, Precision BioSciences will be working with Bayer CropScience to develop additional DNE-engineered enzymes for use across the company’s crop platforms.

Precision's mission is to utilize its engineered endonuclease technology to become the world leader in the field of genomic molecular biology. Precision’s proprietary Directed Nuclease Editor™(DNE) technology enables the production of custom genome editing enzymes that can insert, remove, modify, and regulate essentially any gene in mammalian or plant cells. Precision BioSciences has already produced custom endonucleases for partners and internal development that can precisely alter naturally occurring sequences within genomes. Precision has partnered its DNE technology with several of the world’s largest agbiotech firms and is internally developing applications in biological production and human therapeutics. For additional information, please visit
www.precisionbiosciences.com.

Website: http://www.bayercropscience.com

Published: April 9, 2010