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Monsanto Licenses Dow AgroSciences Gene-Editing Tech for Agricultural Use

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Monsanto has taken a non-exclusive license to use Dow AgroSciences Exzact Precision genome-editing technology for new product development, the companies announced today.

Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The technology is based on Sangamo BioSciences engineered zinc finger DNA-binding proteins, which bind to specific functional domains to create transcription factors capable of activating or repressing target genes. Dow AgroSciences has an exclusive license to the technology for plant applications.

"Zinc finger nucleases are a well-established technology for gene editing and this license, together with our existing and other licensed technology, will allow us to pursue product development while further enabling our growing body of research in this emerging field," Tom Adams, biotechnology lead at Monsanto, said in a statement.

Monsanto has been exploring the use of gene-silencing and gene-editing technologies for some time, and last week picked up a non-exclusive agricultural license to the Broad Institute's CRISPR technology. It is also finalizing development of a strain of rootworm-resistant corn that incorporates RNAi.

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