KeyGene issued U.S. patent for high throughput screening of mutagenized populations

KeyGene recently announced that it has been issued U.S. patent 8,614,073 entitled “High Throughput Screening of Mutagenized Populations”, dated December 24, 2013, by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The patent protects methods for detecting induced and natural genetic variation in large plant populations which form the cornerstone of KeyGene’s KeyPoint®MB programs. The issuance of the U.S. patent follows earlier grants in Australia, Europe, Japan and the People’s Republic of China, securing broad patent protection for the methods in important areas for crop improvement.

KeyPoint MB delivers genetic variation in important crop traits such as yield, (a)biotic stress resistances and plant reproduction. KeyPoint MB has enabled KeyGene to produce pre-breeding materials for canola, corn, soybean, wheat and a number of vegetable crops within timeframes of months and in an unrivaled costeffective way. Application of KeyPoint MB does not fall under GMO legislation, thereby leading to further cost savings and broadening the application space of KeyPoint MB for genetic improvement of a wide variety of crops.

The KeyPoint® MB technology is protected by patents and patent applications owned by Keygene N.V. KeyPoint is a registered trademark of Keygene N.V.