University of Missouri Grants Yield10 Bioscience an Exclusive Option to Evaluate Advanced Technology for Oilseed Crops

WOBURN, Mass., Jan. 31, 2017 -- Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:YTEN), today announced that the University of Missouri (“MU”) has granted the Company an exclusive one-year option to evaluate advanced crop science technology to improve the oil content in the oilseed crops Camelina, canola and soybean and to sign a global, exclusive license agreement.   The technology developed by a team of scientists at the Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri enabled the engineering of a new biochemical mechanism to increase seed oil content in a model plant system.  Yield10 Bioscience is focused on developing proprietary, breakthrough technologies to create step-changes in yield for major food and feed crops to enhance global food security.   

“Jay Thelen, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry, and his team at MU have discovered a unique regulatory mechanism controlling the key step in the metabolic pathway for fatty acid and oil biosynthesis in oilseeds. Based on this discovery, novel gene editing targets for significantly increasing seed oil content in commercially important oilseed crops have been identified and patent applications filed,” said Oliver Peoples, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “Over the next few months, we will begin to edit these gene targets in Camelina, canola and soybean. This is another example where Yield10 is accessing unique and exciting discoveries from academia and working with the researchers as partners to demonstrate their economic value in major crops. We plan on executing our option and obtaining a worldwide license to the technology for our target oilseed crops in 2017.”  

“Healthy, edible oils are important for global food security. Dr. Thelen’s discovery represents an innovative approach to boosting seed oil content in oilseed crops,” said Christopher Fender, Director, Office of Technology Management & Industry Relations at University of Missouri.  “Yield10 is assembling a number of advanced technologies focused on boosting yield in oilseed crops, and this technology could be very complementary to that effort.”  

About the Office of Technology Management & Industry Relations and the Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri

The Office of Technology Management & Industry Relations (OTMIR) manages technology transfer functions at the University of Missouri. OTMIR professionals identify, assess and protect inventions and innovations resulting from MU’s world-class research. They also create and facilitate pathways for the transfer of innovations to the marketplace, where research truly benefits society. Moving innovations from lab to market in partnership with companies, entrepreneurs and investors is central to fulfilling the university’s research and economic development missions. Founded in 1839, MU is Missouri’s largest public research university. 

The MU Bond Life Sciences Center houses researchers from six schools and colleges who conduct interdisciplinary research to solve problems in human and animal health, the environment and agriculture.  

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 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 statements, including, without limitation, expectations regarding the future signing of a technology license and progress of Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., 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 Bioscience assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

Contact:

Lynne H. Brum, 617-682-4693, [email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:
Amato and Partners, LLC
90 Park Avenue, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10016
[email protected]