Yield10 Bioscience begins field testing of novel yield trait gene C3003 and novel trait gene C3008 in oilseed crops

Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., a Company developing new technologies to create step-change improvements in crop yield to enhance global food security, announced that its 2018 field test program has begun based on the recent completion of planting at study sites in Canada and the United States.

During the program, Yield10 is evaluating the novel yield trait gene C3003 in Camelina and canola, and bulking up seed in soybean at sites in Canada. In previous field tests, C3003 has shown promising improvements in oilseed yield. Yield10 is also evaluating for the first time the genome-edited trait C3008 in Camelina in the United States. Following completion of these field tests, the Company expects to harvest plants in the third quarter and to report results of the study in the fourth quarter of 2018.

“We experienced difficult planting conditions on the Canadian prairies due to a recent early season heat wave. Having said that, our field test sites are now planted and our team is executing a comprehensive set of studies to evaluate C3003 in oilseed crops,” said Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “We look forward to collecting field data that will allow us to continue to optimize the use of C3003 to improve seed yield in commercial oilseed crops, and to define the potential market opportunity to address the unmet need for global food security.”

Dr. Snell continued, “The evaluation of C3008 in the field for the first time this year will mark an important milestone in our research to develop and evaluate genome-edited traits in oilseed crops. C3008 is one of a number of gene targets, including the recently licensed C3007 gene from the University of Missouri, that we plan to stack through multiple genome edits as a new strategy to significantly increase oil content and improve oil stability in oilseed crops. Evaluation of C3008 in the field this year is intended to provide a baseline of performance for comparison with future results using new plant lines containing stacked edits.”

Background on Yield10’s 2018 Field Test Program

The main focus of the Company’s 2018 Field Test Program will be on the novel yield trait gene C3003 in Camelina, canola and soybean. Yield10 is also conducting a field test of Camelina lines that have been genome-edited to inactivate the C3008 gene as part of a new multi-trait approach to increase seed oil content and to potentially improve oil stability.

A summary of Yield10’s 2018 Field Test Program:

• Camelina/C3003: Yield10 will test Gen 2.0 and 2.1 versions of C3003 in Camelina from seed produced during its 2017 field tests.
   
• Canola/C3003: Yield10 will test Gen 1.0 C3003 from seed produced in its 2017 field tests, and for the first time will conduct a field test of Gen 2.0 C3003 in canola using recently harvested greenhouse grown seed.
   
• Soybean/C3003: Yield10 will conduct small-scale field work for the first time for Gen 1.0 and Gen 2.0 C3003 in soybean using recently harvested greenhouse grown seed.
   
• Camelina/C3008: Yield10 will conduct field tests with genome-edited C3008 lines for which the Company obtained non-regulated status from USDA-APHIS in 2017.