KeyGene expands KeyPoint mutation breeding with patents granted in US

KeyGene announces the global patent portfolio protecting its market-leading KeyPoint® technology has been strengthened by grants of United States patents US 9,574,230, US 9,657,335 and US 9,670,542, entitled ”High throughput screening of naturally occurring polymorphisms”. These patents expand KeyGene’s global dominant portfolio following earlier grants of patents for methods to screen populations using next generation sequencing approaches in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Japan and the United States.

 

The KeyPoint technology was first published in a peer-reviewed journal by KeyGene in 2009 for detection of induced mutations and natural variation (Rigola et al., PLoS ONE 4; e4761). For application in crops the KeyPoint mutation detection methodology is also known as TILLING by Sequencing (TbyS) or Deep Variant Scanning (DVS) and represents KeyGene’s trait improvement engine providing breeders access to novel genetic variation in targeted genes. Exclusive benefits of KeyPoint screening include rapid generation of new pre-breeding material with superior trait performance at an industrial scale without the need for deregulation of the resulting varieties.

 

“We are very pleased with the steady expansion of our patent portfolio of this unique technology platform”, states Michiel van Eijk, CSO of KeyGene. “Our patent position has been challenged in various territories, both pre and post-grant, without any impact on its claim scope, confirming the strength and validity of our invention. We are dedicated to offer our clients and licensees the best methods available to perform mutation detection.”

 

KeyGene has used the KeyPoint technology in more than twenty-five vegetables, field crops and ornamental plant species for clients worldwide to improve a variety of traits including drought resistance, flower color, plant architecture and resistances to various plant pathogens. Improvement of such traits significantly contributes to the development of improved crops that are needed to feed our growing and aging world population in a sustainable way.