Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

MON DOW SGMO:

There are various ways to target specific regions of the genome. The most exciting right now are the zinc finger nucleases that allow very efficient gene targeting in embryonic as well as somatic cells in mammals and non mammals. The French company [Cellectis] try to be original and work on a different kind of nucleases that can be manipulated to provide gene targeting. I have no idea why Monsanto decided to license this technology rather than the zinc finger nucleases. Maybe they are trying both to be on the safe side. Or perhaps there are no publications regarding zinc finger targeting in plants.

EyeGuy furnished the answer to your question in #msg-41158150: DOW owns the exclusive rights to SGMO’s IP in ag biotech, and hence MON would need a sub-license from DOW to incorporate ZFP technology into its own products. This is an excerpt from the 10/6/05 agreement between DOW and SGMO:

http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/dow_agrosciences_sangamo_biosciences_announce_research_and_commercial_license_agreeme

INDIANAPOLIS, IN and RICHMOND, CA - Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), and Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) today announced the signing of a Research and Commercial License Agreement. The agreement provides Dow AgroSciences with access to Sangamo`s proprietary zinc finger DNA-binding protein (ZFP) technology for use in plants and plant cell cultures to develop products in areas including, on an exclusive basis, plant agriculture and industrial products, and, on a non-exclusive basis, animal health and biopharmaceutical products produced in plants.

Dow exercised the option to extend this license to commercialization of agricultural products in Jun 2008:

http://investor.sangamo.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=317375