OREANDA-NEWS. September 23, 2016. Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that it has reached a global licensing agreement for the use of the CRISPR-Cas genome-editing technology in agriculture with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

The Broad Institute is a world leader in the development and sharing of CRISPR genome-editing technologies and holds several issued U.S. patents covering CRISPR-Cas technology. The parties, which share a broad-licensing philosophy to enable wide-ranging benefits from proprietary innovations, expect that this non-exclusive license agreement will deliver a wide array of crop improvements to global agriculture.

“The license to CRISPR-Cas from the Broad Institute provides access to an exciting tool for our growing body of genome-editing research,” said Tom Adams, Ph.D., biotechnology lead for Monsanto. “Genome-editing technology is complementary to our ongoing discovery research and provides an incredible resource to further unlock our world-leading germplasm and genome libraries.”

Under the agreement announced today, the Broad Institute grants Monsanto a worldwide non-exclusive license for agriculture applications of the CRISPR-Cas technology. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Genome-editing techniques present precise ways to dramatically improve the scale and discovery efficiency of new research that can improve human health and global agriculture,” said Issi Rozen, Chief Business Officer of the Broad Institute. “We are encouraged to see these tools being used to help deliver responsible solutions to help farmers meet the demands of our growing population.”

Genome-editing technologies present another key scientific tool that can deliver breakthroughs in agriculture. CRISPR-Cas works by making precisely-targeted modifications in a cell's DNA, similar to the search-and-replace function in modern-day word processing applications. Genome-editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas, offer a way for scientists to promote site-directed integration of specific genes as well as the opportunity to enhance beneficial or remove undesired plant characteristics. These techniques will enable plant breeders to deliver better hybrids and varieties more efficiently.

About Monsanto Company

Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops – such as corn, soybeans, and cotton – that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit: discover.monsanto.com and monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows® at monsantoblog.com or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.

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