RhoBio, a joint-venture between Rhone-Poulenc Agro (a part of Rhone-Poulenc S.A. and Biogemma, has finalized a research agreement with CSIRO, Australia's national research organization. This agreement provides for the development and marketing by RhoBio of gene expression technologies developed by CSIRO and named "pPlex.''

pPlex is a set of DNA switches responsible for turning genes on and off -- which enable the expression of a gene giving the plant a new trait such as herbicide tolerance, or resistance to insects or disease. This technology, already tested by CSIRO researchers on crops such as potato, rice and cotton, will be developed by RhoBio on other major crops such as cereals, for instance corn and wheat, and will be licensed to third parties.

This agreement enhances RhoBio's technology portfolio and provides exclusive access to intellectual property and global marketing rights for these technologies. CSIRO retains usage rights in Australia.

This agreement is in line with RhoBio's strategy of developing biotech- based plant improvement solutions for agriculture.

RhoBio, a French joint-venture between Rhone-Poulenc Agro and Biogemma, is one of Europe's leading plant biotechnology companies. Its research activities focus essentially on plant disease resistance and the development of enabling technologies and gene analysis techniques for field crop varieties. It is supported by the work of the three laboratories of Biogemma (a partnership between the seed breeders Limagrain and Pau-Euralis and the companies Unigrains and Sofiproteol, financial bodies working in the agricultural industry), as well as by the Lyons research center of Rhone- Poulenc Agro. In addition, RhoBio inaugurated a laboratory devoted to genomics earlier this year at Evry, where work for Genoplante will be carried out.

CSIRO Plant Industry applies strategic research in the plant sciences to promote profitable and sustainable agri-food, fiber and horticultural industries, develop novel plant products and improve natural resource management. CSIRO Plant Industry is one of the world's leading research institutes, and is recognized internationally in the field of plant molecular biology. The Division has a staff of 700 with 60 percent located at its headquarters in Canberra and other groups located at ten sites across Australia.

Company news release
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