- Provisions of Act aim to facilitate development and marketing of gene edited crops in the United Kingdom
- The Act aligns regulation of new technologies such as Cibus’ gene editing platform to conventional breeding
SAN DIEGO, June 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cibus, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBUS), a leading agricultural technology company that develops and licenses plant traits to seed companies for royalties, welcomed the passage of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 (the “Act”) into law in the United Kingdom. The Act removes plants produced through precision breeding technologies from regulatory requirements applicable in England to the environmental release and marketing of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). It is expected to enable the development and marketing of gene edited crops in England. The Act introduces a simplified regulatory system for gene edited or ‘precision bred’ crops, which have been developed with targeted genetic changes that could have arisen through conventional breeding or other natural processes. The passing of the Act aligns England’s regulatory path for gene editing technologies with other countries that have enacted similar legislation that regulate traits from Cibus’ gene editing platform on a similar basis as traits developed using conventional breeding technologies.
“Cibus’ RTDS® technology platform is designed to introduce traits into plants that could have occurred naturally, and can develop these traits years to decades faster than would have been possible through conventional breeding,” stated Greg Gocal, PhD, Co-Founder, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Cibus. “This new law in the UK is an important milestone in developments globally to align regulations of new technologies like RTDS® on a similar basis as conventional breeding.”
The Act is a major accomplishment of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in its efforts to unlock modern breeding technologies to improve food security, reduce pesticide use, and enhance climate-resilience in crops. DEFRA has been commended for enabling the agriculture industry in England to realize the benefits of gene editing to improve farming productivity and sustainability. In addition to the Act’s passage, paving the way for commercialization of gene edited crops, DEFRA has introduced new legislation to simplify research and development with gene edited crops. The new rules would enable field trials, which play a key role in trait development and are accordingly linked to improved crops better able to withstand changing environments and with reduced inputs such as fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides. Productivity Traits such as these are the primary target of Cibus’ gene editing efforts.
“Field trials are a critical step in the development and validation of any new trait,” stated Peter Beetham, PhD, President, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Cibus. “The new rules proposed by DEFRA authorizing field trials in the UK mark progress towards similar legislation regarding gene edited traits for crops grown in the European market.”
About DEFRA
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom. DEFRA also represents the United Kingdom on agricultural, fisheries and environmental matters in international negotiations on sustainable development.
About RTDS
The Rapid Trait Development System®, or RTDS, is Cibus’ patented gene editing technology platform. It is the core technology platform for Cibus’ Trait Machine™, the first standardized end-to-end semi-automated crop specific gene editing system that directly edits a seed company’s elite germplasm. The proprietary technologies integrate crop specific cell biology platforms with a series of gene editing technologies to enable a system of end-to-end crop specific precision breeding. The traits from the Trait Machine are indistinguishable from traits developed using conventional breeding or from nature.
Cibus believes that RTDS and the Trait Machine represent the technological breakthrough in plant breeding that is the ultimate promise of plant gene editing allowing the ability to change the scale and range of possible genetic solutions from breeding and with it, to develop desired characteristics or traits needed for greater farming sustainability and food security with greater speed and accuracy.
About Cibus
Cibus is a leading agricultural technology company that develops and licenses plant traits to seed companies for royalties. Cibus is a leader in the new era of gene-edited trait development, where plant traits (or specific genetic characteristics) that are indistinguishable from traits developed using traditional breeding are now created using gene editing. A key element of Cibus’ technology breakthrough is its patented RTDS® technology platform: the Trait Machine™ - the industry’s first semi-automated stand-alone trait production facility. Cibus’ Trait Machine™ materially changes the speed, breadth, and scale of trait development. This breakthrough is central to Cibus’ vision for the Future of Breeding: “High Throughput Gene Editing Systems operating as an extension of seed company breeding programs”. The ability to develop complex traits at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional breeding will be critical for addressing the sustainability challenges presented by climate change.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included herein, including statements regarding the benefits of the Act, Cibus’ operational performance, and Cibus’ strategy, future operations, prospects and plans, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend”, “expect,” “plan,” “scheduled,” “could,” “would” and “will,” or the negative of these and similar expressions.
These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations and assumptions of Cibus’ management about future events, which are based on currently available information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and beyond the control of Cibus. There are many factors that could cause Cibus’ actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements, including factors related to: (i) risks associated with the possible failure to realize certain anticipated benefits of the transactions contemplated by the merger (the “Transactions”), including with respect to future financial and operating results; (ii) the effect of the completion of the Transactions on Cibus’ business relationships, operating results and business generally; (iii) the outcome of any litigation related to the merger agreement or Transactions; (iv) competitive responses to the Transactions and changes in expected or existing competition; (v) challenges to Cibus’ intellectual property protection and unexpected costs associated with defending Cibus’ intellectual property rights; (vi) increased or unanticipated time and resources required for Cibus’ platform or trait product development efforts; (vii) Cibus’ reliance on third parties in connection with its development activities; (viii) Cibus’ ability to effectively license its productivity traits and sustainable ingredient products; (ix) the recognition of value in Cibus’ products by farmers, and the ability of farmers and processors to work effectively with crops containing Cibus’ traits; (x) Cibus’ ability to produce high-quality plants and seeds cost effectively on a large scale; (xi) Cibus’ need for additional funding to finance its activities and challenges in obtaining additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; (xii) Cibus’ dependence on distributions from Cibus Global, LLC to pay taxes and cover Cibus’ corporate and overhead expenses; (xiii) regulatory developments that disfavor or impose significant burdens on gene-editing processes or products; (xiv) Cibus’ ability to achieve commercial success; (xv) commodity prices and other market risks facing the agricultural sector; and (xvi) technological developments that could render Cibus’ technologies obsolete. In addition to these factors, other known and unknown risks and uncertainties may adversely affect such forward-looking statements and cause Cibus’ actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Cibus’ views as of the date hereof. Cibus specifically disclaims any obligation to update such forward-looking statements in the future, except as required under applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Cibus’ views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.
CIBUS CONTACTS:
INVESTOR RELATIONS
Karen Troeber
ktroeber@cibus.com
858-450-2636
MEDIA RELATIONS
Theodore Lowen
tlowen@cibus.com
914-343-6794
Colin Sanford
colin@bioscribe.com
203-918-4347
