Wilmington, Delaware
September 14, 1998DuPont, The John
Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and Plant Bioscience Ltd. announced the
establishment of a research alliance designed to develop new wheat varieties and wheat
products with improved agronomic, industrial, and food uses. Terms of the agreement were
not disclosed.
The intent of this alliance is to conduct strategic research that generates knowledge and
intellectual property for the development of improved wheat and grain products. The John
Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory, which are located in Norwich, England,
are leading international research institutes widely recognized for their contributions to
the advancement of knowledge and education in agriculture, horticulture, and
biotechnology. Plant Bioscience Ltd. is the independent technology management company of
the two institutions committed to the identification, protection, and commercial
development of research results they generate.
The research alliance with DuPont will provide the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury
Laboratory with access to genomics research tools developed by DuPont and with
opportunities for collaborations, scientific exchanges, and training for students. The
alliance will also provide significant research funding and clear routes for
commercialization of developed technologies. The Wheat Alliance will be managed by a joint
wheat research council composed of scientists from each of the participating parties.
For DuPont, this alliance helps to build a relationship with
a world center of excellence in molecular biology, and provides a further important
element of its wheat biotechnology research program. Some anticipated areas for alliance
research include improved wheat grain quality offering added value to the consumer and
food processor and the development of disease resistant wheat.
Earlier this year, DuPont established the DuPont Wheat Enterprise, led by Herve
deTrogroff,
DuPont Agricultural Enterprise vice president. The research conducted under the
collaborative alliance will be commercialized through the Wheat Enterprise, which
comprises the DuPont Cereal Innovation Centre (CIC), based in Cambridge, U.K., Hybrinova,
based near Paris, and the DuPont operations in Wilmington. CIC is a research and
development-based organization specializing in the development and marketing of
cereal-derived food ingredients for use in food manufacturing, health care, and related
industries. Hybrinova, a hybrid wheat seed business, provides germplasm and wheat breeding
capabilities and a patented chemical hybridizing agent for use in hybrid seed production.
"This research alliance is a significant step forward in building a knowledge-based
Wheat Enterprise with the capability to develop and market added value wheat and wheat
products," said William F. Kirk, president of DuPont Agricultural Enterprise.
"In addition, this alliance provides DuPont with added momentum in our intent to
establish a new agricultural business system that creates and provides higher value
products benefiting everyone from farmers to consumers."
The John Innes Centre is an independent research centre for plant and microbial sciences.
It has over 850 staff and students, trains scientists, and conducts fundamental,
strategic, and applied research to understand how plants and microbes work at the
molecular, cellular, and genetic levels. The JIC is grant-aided by the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council.
The Sainsbury Laboratory is an independent academic research laboratory funded primarily
by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The laboratory is located at the John Innes Centre
and is a leader in research into the molecular basis of plant disease resistance.
Plant Bioscience Ltd. is an independent technology interaction and intellectual property
management company owned equally by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the John Innes
Centre. PBL promotes the commercial development of research results to generate income to
finance its operations and to support research at the institutions it serves.
Founded in 1802, DuPont is a global research and technology-based life sciences,
materials, and energy company. Committed to better things for better living, DuPont serves
worldwide markets including food and nutrition; health care; agriculture; fashion and
apparel; home and construction; electronics; transportation and energy. The company
operates in about 70 countries and has 98,000 employees. Revenues in 1997 were more than
$45 billion.
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