WOBURN, Mass., June 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:YTEN) today announced that planting has been completed at study sites in Canada for field tests to evaluate the novel yield trait gene C3003 in Camelina and canola. Following completion of field tests in the fall of 2017, the Company plans to report results of the study in the fourth quarter of 2017. In previous studies, C3003 has shown promising improvements in oilseed yield. Yield10 Bioscience is focused on “building better plants” by developing proprietary, breakthrough technologies to produce higher yields in major food and feed crops with lower inputs of land, water and fertilizer to enhance global food security.
“Results from our prior studies with C3003 suggest that it may provide an entirely new strategy to improve seed yield in oilseeds and other C3 photosynthetic crops by bringing in new metabolic functionality from non-plant systems,” said Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Yield10. “Our 2017 field testing program will enable us to evaluate an improved version of the trait in Camelina, and to generate field data for the first generation C3003 trait in canola for the first time. Because soybean is the leading North American oilseed crop, we accelerated deployment of both first and second generation C3003 into soybean last year and remain on track to obtain initial greenhouse data in late 2017 or early 2018.”
In its 2017 field test program, Yield10 is testing both first and second generation versions of its novel yield trait gene C3003 in Camelina, its Fast Field Testing platform oilseed crop for novel trait discovery and evaluation. The Company is also testing first generation C3003 in canola, an important North American oilseed crop. Key agronomic and growth parameters of the plants will be monitored throughout the field test and yield data including seed weight, seed size and oil content will be measured and analyzed as compared to control plants.
Background on the Novel Yield Trait Gene C3003
Yield10’s “Smart Carbon Grid for Plants” advanced metabolic engineering technology platform incorporates sourcing of new metabolic functionality from non-plant systems with sophisticated models of carbon-flux pathways to identify gene targets that enhance carbon capture from photosynthesis and regulate the flow of carbon to seed. This informed, science based approach allows Yield10 to approach the problem of increasing crop yield from a unique perspective compared to other players in the industry. C3003, which is derived from algae, represents the lead trait in this platform. C3003 appears to be a unique gene that impacts photorespiration, a biochemical pathway in C3 photosynthetic plants which is responsible for significant losses in yield. In field tests conducted in 2016, C3003 produced up to a 23% increase in seed yield (by weight) in the best performing Camelina lines. The purpose of increased seed yield is to enable farmers to increase the productivity of their land. Yield10 is progressing the introduction of the C3003 gene trait as well as improvements to the C3003 trait, such as the second generation trait, in Camelina, canola, soybean and rice, and expects to report additional results from a number of these activities throughout 2017.
About Yield10 Bioscience
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is focused on developing disruptive technologies for producing step-change improvements in crop yield to enhance global food security. Yield10 is leveraging an extensive track record of innovation based around optimizing the flow of carbon intermediates in living systems. By working on new approaches to improve fundamental elements of plant photosynthetic efficiency and optimizing carbon metabolism to direct more carbon to seed production, Yield10 is advancing several yield traits it has developed in crops such as Camelina, canola, soybean and corn. Yield10 is based in Woburn, MA.
For more information about the company, please visit www.yield10bio.com.
(YTEN-G)
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's intentions to conduct field tests with Camelina and canola, the results and outcome of those tests, and expectations with regard to the timing of reporting results of field tests in Camelina and canola, and greenhouse testing in soybean, constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including the risks and uncertainties detailed in Yield10 Bioscience's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Yield10 assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.