DAVIS, Calif., July 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intrexon
Corporation (NYSE: XON), a leader in the engineering and
industrialization of biology to improve the quality of life and
health of the planet, today introduced its Florian™ technology, an
"on-off" regulation switch enabling a variety of commercial
applications in agriculture. The platform, developed at
Intrexon, furthers the Company's position in inducible control and
regulation of genes for bio-based products spanning therapeutics,
gene therapy, and agriculture.
The Florian™ switch system exhibits the capability to regulate
the timing of flowering, as well as selectively activate specific
plant genes, through topical application of an activator. By
targeting a flowering pathway in Arabidopsis commonly found
in other plant species, this technology demonstrates its potential
for broad applicability.
"The talented team at Intrexon, through their ingenuity and
tireless work, has demonstrated cutting edge flowering control
utilizing our Florian™ platform in a common pathway found in most
plants. This achievement opens significant opportunities in
agricultural markets," said Sekhar
Boddupalli, Ph.D., Head of the AgBio Division at
Intrexon. "In addition to its many commercial applications in
flowering control per se, we also see the promise of this
technology to reduce the environmental risk of pollen drift from
GMO forage crops and turfgrass to cross-pollinate closely-related
wild plant species."
Intrexon's Florian™ technology opens the door to a diverse range
of beneficial agricultural applications including:
- Increase biomass production in forage crops by prolonging
vegetative state;
- Improve crop yield and quality, in conjunction with lower cost
profile, for select fruits and vegetables;
- On-demand resistance for environmental and biological stressors
such as drought, pests and disease;
- Allow precise control of flowering in high value fruit and
produce to aid in harvest timing (e.g. strawberries, pineapples,
apples);
- Provide flexibility to florists to control flowering on-site
based on demand, thereby increasing productivity and lowering waste
commonplace in the industry;
- Tune consumer appealing traits such as color and aroma in
fruits and flowers;
- Enhance plant-based production of high-value active
pharmaceutical ingredients; and
- More efficient and effective commercial seed production.
Intrexon intends to develop and commercialize numerous
applications of the Florian™ switch platform with existing and new
agricultural partners utilizing its Exclusive Channel Collaboration
business model. The Company will focus its initial
application efforts on near-to-market opportunities in turf,
floral, and forage industries.
"Achieving global food security in the face of climate change
and a still-growing human population is perhaps the greatest
challenge we face in the 21st century. Control of flowering
using Florian™ technology represents an elegant biological approach
to helping farmers grow more with less waste. By precisely
controlling when a crop plant flowers, farmers can achieve a number
of different outcomes from greater biomass production to optimal
timing of fruiting and seed production," stated Nina Fedoroff, Ph.D., Evan Pugh Professor
Emerita, Penn State University.
"Florian™ technology represents an important advance in the
engineering of plant biology and through its self-limiting profile
further illustrates the Company's responsible approach to
environmentally sound applications of synthetic biology. We
look forward to working with partners to apply the power and
promise of this platform in commercial settings as quickly as
possible," said Randal J. Kirk,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Intrexon. "I would like to
extend our appreciation and thanks to the AgBio team, in particular
to Dr. Boddupalli, for successfully moving this multi-year effort
at Intrexon across this important milestone."
About Intrexon Corporation
Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON) is Powering the Bioindustrial
Revolution with Better DNA™ to create biologically-based
products that improve the quality of life and the health of the
planet. The Company's integrated technology suite provides
its partners across diverse markets with industrial-scale design
and development of complex biological systems delivering
unprecedented control, quality, function, and performance of living
cells. We call our synthetic biology approach Better
DNA®, and we invite you to discover more
at www.dna.com or follow us on Twitter at @Intrexon.
Trademarks
Intrexon, Powering the Bioindustrial Revolution with Better DNA,
and Better DNA are trademarks of Intrexon and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Safe Harbor Statement
Some of the statements made in this press release are
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements
are based upon our current expectations and projections about
future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and
expectations for the development of our business. Although
management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or
suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and
actual future results may be materially different from the plans,
objectives and expectations expressed in this press release.
For more information please contact:
Media
Contact:
Kabira Ferrell
Senior Vice President
Ogilvy Public Relations
Tel: +1 (303) 527-4609
ogilvy.com
Investor Contact:
Christopher
Basta
Vice President, Investor Relations
Tel: +1 (561) 410-7052
investors@intrexon.com
Corporate Contact:
Marie
Rossi, Ph.D.
Senior Manager, Technical Communications
Tel: +1 (301) 556-9850
publicrelations@intrexon.com
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SOURCE Intrexon Corporation