Trait Acquires Exclusive License to Apply These New Technologies to Cannabis, Hemp
LOS ALAMOS, NM, September 12, 2019 / - Trait Biosciences Inc. ("Trait" or the "Company"), a biotechnology leader in the cannabis industry, today congratulated its Chief Science Officer, Dr. Richard Sayre, and a team of industry scientists on the publication of the article “Fine-tuning the Photosynthetic Light Harvesting Apparatus for Improved Photosynthetic Efficiency and Biomass Yield" (the “Article”) in the September 2019 edition of Scientific Reports.
The work that led to publication of the Article was conducted by Dr. Sayre and the team at the New Mexico Consortium (“NMC”) on Camelina sativa (a plant that has a dense vertical canopy architecture similar to cannabis and hemp) over a 3 year period, through a grant from Bayer Crop Sciences.
The technologies developed resulted in a 40% increase of biomass production in field trials by fine-tuning the photosynthetic light harvesting apparatus in the plant to more efficiently utilize light.
“Photosynthesis has an overall energy conversion efficiency of 4%. By optimizing a plant’s light harvesting efficiency, we are approaching the theoretical efficiency limit of 12% resulting in substantial crop yield improvements and shorter growing cycles,” said Dr. Sayre. “These improvements will also reduce the need for supplemental light in greenhouse cultivation systems. Importantly, this breakthrough is applicable to all crops and enables a substantial gain in yield which is critical for reducing land use while maintaining crop output.”
Over 14 patents and patent applications have resulted from these efforts, including PCT/US2015/041617 “Improved Carbon Fixation in Plants and Algae”, PCT/US2015/060448 “Transgenic Plants with Engineering Redox Sensitive Modulation of Photosynthetic Antenna Complex Pigments and Methods of Making Same” and PCT/US19/24669 “The Enhancement of Photosynthetic Rates, Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Biomass Yield Through Expression of a C4 Plant Ferredoxin in C3 Photosynthetic Plants”.
A copy of the Article is available at www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-49545-8
Trait Acquires Exclusive License for Cannabis, Hemp and Tobacco Applications
Trait is also pleased to announce that it has entered into a patent license agreement (the “Exclusive License”) to acquire the exclusive rights to the Patents for use in cannabis, hemp and tobacco plants.
Under the terms of the Exclusive License, Trait will have the exclusive right to use the technologies contemplated by the Patents for use in cannabis, hemp and tobacco plants for the lifetime of the patent underlying the applicable technology.
Peter McDonough, CEO of Trait, commented: “We offer our most genuine congratulations to Dr. Sayre and his team on the publication of the article in Scientific Reports. It is a great accomplishment.” McDonough added: “We are extremely pleased to be licensing these technologies, which vastly enhance the photosynthetic yields of plants, and form one of the key strategies in our Trait Amplified technology. Trait Amplified promises to increase cannabinoid yields by more than 4x, and lower production costs in cannabis and hemp plants. What is more, these technologies lower the environmental impact of cultivating hemp and cannabis by reducing the inputs required to grow these plants.”
About Trait Biosciences
With a team of internationally recognized scientists who are applying best-in-class technology and agricultural science, Trait Biosciences is an emerging biotechnology leader in the hemp and cannabis industries. Its consumer technology platforms provide breakthrough IP and science which produce enhanced cannabinoids featuring predictable onset timing, superior bioavailability, extended stability, and improved taste. Trait's patent pending technologies include a process for generating water-soluble cannabinoids that does not rely on emulsion or nanotechnology. The company's agricultural technologies increase crop yields and plant safety, including ultrahigh yield Amplified™ plants which dramatically increase a plant's natural cannabinoid productivity, and its Defence™ RNAi crop protection technology, which eliminates the need for pesticides or fungicides, providing higher quality, safer, CBD-infused nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.
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