KeyGene strengthens KeyPoint Mutation Breeding patent

KeyGene announces that it has further expanded its patent estate related to KeyPoint® Mutation Breeding (MB). Both the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People’s Republic of China and the Australian Patent Office (IP Australia) granted KeyGene’s patent entitled “High Throughput Screening of Mutagenized Populations”, which protects methods for detecting induced and natural genetic variation in large plant populations. These methods form the cornerstone of KeyPoint MB programs, which deliver novel genetic variation in selected genes for trait improvement in crops at industrial scale. Using this innovative approach large numbers of improved genes involved in traits such as biotic stress resistance and drought tolerance have been obtained for a number of crops e.g. corn, soybean, canola and wheat. Results so far included corn plants with improved drought tolerance, short-stem canola and soybean with altered fungal resistance. Development of these valuable and proprietary pre-breeding materials was completed within timeframes of less than six months. Significant cost savings can be made because KeyPoint MB products do not require deregulation.

Michiel van Eijk, CSO of KeyGene comments: “We welcome these additions to our Molecular Mutagenesis patent estate. KeyPoint MB has proven to be an extremely powerful way to generate pre-breeding material for a variety of crops. The granted patents are an incentive for further roll-out of KeyPoint MB in important agricultural countries via licenses and/or collaborations. Together with the seed industry and academic partners we will use KeyPoint MB to systematically develop improved genes in all major crops”.