Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Rosetta Genomics Opposes Monsanto Acquisition of Former Subsidiary

Premium

Just days after the acquisition of agricultural microRNA firm Rosetta Green by Monsanto was cleared by Israeli antitrust authorities, Rosetta Green’s former parent from Rosetta Genomics has opposed the deal.

According to a Rosetta Green filing with Israeli regulators, Rosetta Genomics argued that the transaction would inappropriately give Monsanto access to proprietary software-related intellectual property that had been licensed to Rosetta Green.

Rosetta Green also said that Rosetta Genomics is seeking a 7.5 percent portion of the acquisition’s proceeds.

Rosetta Green called Rosetta Genomics’ claims groundless.

Rosetta Genomics created Rosetta Green in 2008 as an in-house unit to explore the use of its miRNA technologies in agriculture (GSN 10/30/2008).

In 2010, Rosetta Green was set up as a standalone subsidiary of Rosetta Genomics, which held onto a 76 percent stake in the new company (GSN 6/3/2010).

By late 2011, as it faced a cash shortfall, Rosetta Genomics sold the majority of its ownership in Rosetta Green to undisclosed investors for $900,000 and the promise of an additional $2 million if the company was acquired within three years for at least $90 million (GSN 12/22/2011).

In late January, Rosetta Green disclosed that it had signed a deal to sell the majority of its assets to Monsanto, which has steadily been increasing its efforts in RNAi and related applications, for $35 million.

In a statement issued this week, Monsanto said that the transaction has closed, with all of Rosetta Green's employees remaining with the company.

Officials from Rosetta Genomics did not return a request for comment.

The Scan

Genetic Ancestry of South America's Indigenous Mapuche Traced

Researchers in Current Biology analyzed genome-wide data from more than five dozen Mapuche individuals to better understand their genetic history.

Study Finds Variants Linked to Diverticular Disease, Presents Polygenic Score

A new study in Cell Genomics reports on more than 150 genetic variants associated with risk of diverticular disease.

Mild, Severe Psoriasis Marked by Different Molecular Features, Spatial Transcriptomic Analysis Finds

A spatial transcriptomics paper in Science Immunology finds differences in cell and signaling pathway activity between mild and severe psoriasis.

ChatGPT Does As Well As Humans Answering Genetics Questions, Study Finds

Researchers in the European Journal of Human Genetics had ChatGPT answer genetics-related questions, finding it was about 68 percent accurate, but sometimes gave different answers to the same question.