Dow AgroSciences, Sangamo BioSciences Announce the Achievement of Key Milestones in Plant Agriculture Col...(be used to regulate or modifyany gene in...)

Scientists at Dow AgroSciences, in collaboration with Sangamo scientists, used ZFP Nucleases (ZFNs(TM)) to place a herbicide resistance gene into a specified location of the maize genome in a rapid, single-step process. The precise insertion of the gene into the targeted location significantly advances the ability to stack a trait with other commercially valuable traits and accelerate the breeding process to deliver a launch-ready variety. This achievement demonstrates the potential value and versatility of targeted transgene insertion into crops.

Sangamo's ZFP transcription factor (ZFP TF(TM)) technology was used to achieve the second milestone, the control of the expression of a native gene in canola, a major food oil crop species in North America and in Asia. The ZFP TF was engineered at Sangamo to enable scientists at Dow AgroSciences to regulate a gene involved in a key step of oil biosynthesis and to change the metabolic profile of plant tissue.

"It has been both exciting and gratifying to witness the successful application of our ZFP technology in plants in collaboration with the Dow AgroSciences team," said Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and chief executive officer. "Dow AgroSciences has had the foresight to recognize the power and potential of our technology and the expertise to rapidly implement it successfully into its precision trait development program in commercially relevant crop species. They are leading the way in the development of innovative applications in plant biotechnology."

The three-year agreement initiated October 2005 provides Dow AgroSciences with access to Sangamo's proprietary ZFP technology for the development of products in plants and plant cell cultures. During the initial three-year research term, Dow AgroSciences has the option to obtain a commercial license that will allow them to sell products incorporating or derived from plant cells genera
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