Athenix Traits for Insect Resistance and Herbicide Tolerance Display Excellent Field Performance.Lead Products Enter Registration and Commercial Development RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK Research Triangle Park, research, business, medical, and educational complex situated in central North Carolina. It has an area of 6,900 acres (2,795 hectares) and is 8 × 2 mi (13 × 3 km) in size. Named for the triangle formed by Duke Univ. , N.C. -- Athenix Corp., a leading biotechnology company that develops novel products and technologies for agricultural and sustainable industrial applications, announced the results from its 2006 field trials. Athenix' proprietary genes for resistance to the key insect pests of corn and tolerance to the world's leading herbicide, glyphosate glyphosate herbicide and desiccant for grains. Heavy doses to birds cause soft shells on their eggs. , all performed exceptionally well in the field this past summer. Based on these successful field results, Athenix is advancing its lead products for insect resistance and herbicide tolerance into registration and commercial development. In its herbicide tolerance trials, Athenix' proprietary class of glyphosate tolerant genes produced outstanding levels of tolerance to this important herbicide. In the insect resistance trials, plants demonstrated commercial levels of resistance to the key pests European corn borer European corn borer: see corn borer. and corn rootworm root·worm n. Any of several beetles of the genus Diabrotica, the larvae of which feed on the roots of various crop plants, especially corn. , as well as resistance to corn earworm. "These successful field trials mark yet another major product development milestone for Athenix. We are extremely pleased with the outstanding performance of our plants in the field. We have made significant progress this year on all our key products. Our herbicide tolerance, nematode nematode or roundworm Any of more than 15,000 named and many more unnamed species of worms in the class Nematoda (phylum Aschelminthes). Nematodes include plant and animal parasites and free-living forms found in soil, freshwater, saltwater, and even vinegar resistance, and insect resistance technologies will allow Athenix to provide the Crop Production Industry with the most advanced trait stack products," said Mike Koziel, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Athenix. "Athenix has entered an exciting and intense commercial product development phase that includes additional field trials and the development of regulatory packages. This will allow us to sell transgenic corn products offering resistance to insects and tolerance to glyphosate," added Nadine Carozzi, Vice President of Product Development of Athenix. The genes tested in these field trials were discovered by Athenix' powerful discovery platform. Athenix has used its proprietary MiDAS technology to mine its extensive collection of microbes, and has discovered several new gene classes that control the key insect pests of crop plants, resulting in the industry's largest library of insecticidal and nematocidal nem·a·to·cide also nem·a·ti·cide n. A substance or preparation used to kill nematodes. nem genes. In a separate effort, Athenix has demonstrated activity of its nematode resistance genes in plants and is planning to test a stack of its glyphosate tolerance and nematode resistance genes in soybean soybean, soya bean, or soy pea, leguminous plant (Glycine max, G. soja, or Soja max) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Asia, where it has been field trials in 2007. The soybean cyst nematode The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is a plant-parasitic nematode and a devastating pest of the soybean (Glycine max) worldwide. The nematode infects the roots of soybean, and the female nematode eventually becomes a cyst. is a major pest in the United States, causing crop losses in excess of $1 billion each year. About Athenix Corp. Athenix is a leading biotechnology company that develops novel products and technologies for agricultural and sustainable industrial applications. Athenix is focused on developing enhanced plants, microbes, enzymes, and processes with emphasis on two major market opportunities: 1) the discovery of genes and proteins for novel input traits such as insect resistance, nematode resistance, and herbicide tolerance, and their use to develop transgenic plants for the Crop Production Industry; and 2) the discovery of genes and proteins for use in the Sustainable Chemical Industry. For more information about Athenix, visit www.athenixcorp.com |
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