Page 63 - Breeding Edge ebook

whereby Monsanto obtained rights to apply Nomad’s proprietary technology to its genome-
editing projects. The licensed technology enables more efficient development of edited traits and
may be applied across a broad range of genome-editing technologies and project types,
Monsanto said.

• An exclusive license to TargetGene’s novel and proprietary "T∙GEE" (Genome Editing Engine)
platform to deliver continuous improvements in agriculture. Monsanto also established an equity
position in the private Israel-based company.

• A global licensing agreement for the use of South Korean-based ToolGen’s CRISPR technology
platform to develop agricultural products.

"It’s one thing to be able to edit but another thing to know what to edit and where to get the most
value," adds Gilbertson. "And that requires a lot of knowledge of the genes, the genomes and
having the information and the data science. That’s where we have a lot of strength."

Plenty of precision breeding innovation

Given all of the various investments and licensing agreements,
it's difficult to identify just one industry leader at the top of the
precision breeding space – partly because investors range from
small individual start-ups to large agribusinesses which may be
investing or partnering in start-ups and technology companies
on their own.

For example, Syngenta expanded its own direct investment
vehicle, Syngenta Ventures, in 2009, to become one of the first
venture capital teams dedicated to the agricultural space.
Monsanto launched its own Monsanto Growth Ventures to
invest in promising new ventures dealing with agricultural
productivity, digital agriculture and biologicals. And Bayer’s
LifeScience Center (BLSC), operates as a strategic innovation
unit within the company to uncover, encourage and activate
fundamental breakthroughs by creating or partnering with other
companies.

“Here’s the thing about gene editing. Everybody is using it. Jim Carrington, president, Donald
It is a ubiquitous tool in any company that is doing crop Danforth Plant Science Center

improvement. It’s a ubiquitous tool in all research institutes and universities that work on or have

a focus on plant science,” said Jim Carrington, president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

in St. Louis. “But everyone uses it, because the tools are available to everyone and they’re simple to use.

And they work really well. So, it’s hard for me to say who the leaders are.”

Several venture capital and research firms are tracking the leading firms and their interrelationships. For

example, TechAccel is a venture and technology development organization which tracks both the plant

and animal investment landscapes. As can be seen from the diagrams below, gene editing is just one part
of a much larger “pie” of technological advancements underway.

www.Agri-Pulse.com 61