BOSTON, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenLight
Biosciences and Germains Seed Technology, an industry leader
in seed treatment technologies, today announced a research
partnership agreement that could lead to the first commercial use
of RNA as a seed treatment to control crop diseases and offer
options to farmers looking for innovative solutions.
Through the partnership, the two companies will explore
synergies between Germains' seed priming and coating technologies
and GreenLight's dsRNA expertise and ability to cost-effectively
scale manufacturing to protect vegetable crops. In October
2021, GreenLight announced that the company had
achieved, for the first time ever, effective field control of
fungal pathogens using double-stranded RNA.
"Farmers and agribusinesses are looking for effective,
affordable and sustainable alternatives to traditional crop
protection, particularly as environmental and market pressures to
do so continue to increase," said Mark
Singleton, GreenLight's Senior Vice President of
Technology & External Innovation.
"We're excited to work with the leading seed treatment experts
at Germains to develop potential additional applications for RNA to
address those challenges," he said. "Our ability to produce
large-scale commercial quantities of RNA at low cost and with
high quality in our Rochester, New
York, facility means we are well-positioned to quickly
commercialize and scale new products in our pipeline."
"Germains Seed Technology has been a leader in the international
seed industry for 150 years, and our strength as a company is
rooted in our commitment to innovation as we seek to maximize
nature's potential and meet customers' needs," said Dale Krolikowski, Germains' Head of Business
Development and Research.
"We believe this new partnership with GreenLight Biosciences has
the potential to build a new generation of products that do just
that. RNA technology presents enormous potential for the seed
treatment industry, and we are thrilled to be working with the
innovators at GreenLight to push the industry forward."
GreenLight's technology complements Germains' Health brand,
which has delivered several novel seed treatments over the last few
years, including Ultim®-ST organic protection against
Pythium. The partnership will allow Germains to provide further
innovation to customers as the company works to address seed-borne
and soil-borne pathogens, which continue to cause dramatic crop
losses every year.
The fast-growing seed treatment market is valued at
approximately $6.5 billion, with an
estimated growth rate between 10 and 12 percent annually. If
successful, this partnership would mark a key addition to
GreenLight's portfolio and intended pipeline of agricultural
products, as well as a critical addition to Germains' offerings of
innovative seed treatments and grower solutions.
In 2022, GreenLight anticipates receiving U.S. regulatory
approval of its RNA-based product for controlling the Colorado potato beetle and intends to submit
its honeybee health solution to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. The company has seven agricultural products in development
with an addressable market of $6
billion that it plans to launch by 2026.
About GreenLight
Founded in 2008, GreenLight aims to
address some of the world's biggest problems by delivering on the
full potential of RNA for human health and agriculture. In human
health, this includes mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. In
agriculture, this includes RNA to protect honeybees and a
range of crops. The company's breakthrough cell-free RNA
manufacturing platform, which is protected by numerous patents,
allows for cost-effective production of RNA. GreenLight's human
health product candidates are in the pre-clinical stage, and its
product candidates for the agriculture market are in the early
stages of development or regulatory review. For more information,
visit https://www.greenlightbiosciences.com/
In August 2021, GreenLight
Biosciences announced plans to become publicly listed through a
business combination with Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp.
(Nasdaq: ENVI).
About Germains Seed Technology
Celebrating 150 years
of serving the agriculture industry, Germains has sales offices and
research facilities in North
America, the United
Kingdom, and Europe.
Germains Seed Technology is committed to delivering
industry-leading innovative seed technologies for sugar beet,
vegetable, and field crops for seed producers, dealers, and growers
globally. For more information, go
to http://germains.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor
provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, with respect to the proposed transaction between GreenLight
Biosciences, Inc. ("GreenLight") and Environmental Impact
Acquisition Corp. ("ENVI"). These forward-looking statements
generally are identified by the words "believe," "project,"
"expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future,"
"opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be,"
"will continue," "will likely result" and similar expressions. Many
factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from
the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but
not limited to the risk that the transaction may not be completed
in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price
of ENVI's securities and the effect of the announcement or pendency
of the transaction on GreenLight's business relationships,
operating results, and business generally. Forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are
cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements,
and ENVI and GreenLight assume no obligation and do not intend to
update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/greenlight-biosciences-and-germains-seed-technology-partner-to-explore-development-of-worlds-first-dsrna-seed-treatment-to-control-pests-301471607.html
SOURCE GreenLight Biosciences, Inc.
