Precision BioSciences Announces Expansion of Genome Engineering Partnership with Syngenta

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (PRWEB) April 30, 2014

Precision BioSciences, Inc., the genome editing company, today revealed that it has been working with Syngenta to develop advanced agricultural products using the first fully-synthetic genome editing technology. Researchers at Syngenta have successfully used engineered nucleases based on Precisions proprietary ARCUS technology to insert genes of interest into desired locations in the corn genome with unprecedented efficiency. The use of this technology provides plant researchers with a powerful and efficient new method for accelerating the development of greatly needed agricultural products.

The ARCUS platform is Precisions newest genome editing technology and is the result of a multi-year internal R&D program devoted to developing a next-generation editing technology with both the target site flexibility of a TALEN or CRISPR and the high selectivity of a Meganuclease. The ARCUS-derived nucleases were found to be highly effective, leading to an extension of the Precision-Syngenta collaboration.

We are thrilled by the results that Syngenta has achieved using our new ARCUS platform, said Derek Jantz, Precision BioSciences co-founder and Vice President of Scientific Development. They have an exceptional R&D team and we look forward to building on that relationship into the future. While we are hesitant to draw too many conclusions at this point, early results from partners like Syngenta suggest that ARCUS represents a significant step forward in the field of genome editing.

About Precision BioSciences Precision BioSciences mission is to continually provide, improve, and enable the worlds most powerful genome engineering technology. Precisions proprietary genome editing technologies enable the production of highly specific nucleases that can insert, remove, and modify DNA at essentially any location in a complex genome.

Precision BioSciences vision is to be the conduit through which the worlds greatest genome engineering challenges are solved. Precision has successfully utilized its approach to create innovative products in partnerships with many of the worlds largest biopharmaceutical and agbiotech firms. Internally, Precision is developing genome editing-based product leads for human therapeutic, agricultural and biologics manufacturing applications. For additional information, please visit http://www.precisionbiosciences.com.

Contact: Precision BioSciences: Chelsea Lynam, phone: +1 919 314-5512 E-mail: chelsea.lynam(at)precisionbiosciences(dot)com

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Precision BioSciences Announces Expansion of Genome Engineering Partnership with Syngenta