REHOVOT, Israel and CUIABÁ, Brazil, Oct. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Evogene Ltd. (NYSE:EVGN) (TASE:EVGN), a
leading biotechnology company for the improvement of crop productivity, and Instituto Mato-grossense do Algodão (IMAmt), a leading
developer and marketer of cotton seeds, announced today a collaboration for the discovery and validation of novel genomic promoters
to support IMAmt's product development of insect-resistant cotton varieties. The multi-year collaboration agreement between the
companies provides for R&D fees and royalty payments from any future products developed as a result of the collaboration, to be
paid to Evogene.
As part of the collaboration, Evogene will apply its biology-driven, predictive computational technology to
identify novel genomic promoters. The two companies will then work jointly to validate the candidate promoters in cotton. The
resulting validated promoters will support IMAmt's product development pipeline of cotton varieties based on Bt toxins, a family of
bacterial genes toxic to insects, and featuring resistance to Boll Weevil, a beetle-like pest which feeds on cotton buds and
flowers.
Genomic promoters are segments of DNA that determine the expression patterns for genes. Such promoters,
when used with appropriate genes, are an essential component of improving seed trait efficacy.
"We are very excited to support IMAmt's product development efforts in the area of novel insect resistant
varieties. This collaboration is indicative of a growing realization in our industry that the selection of the most appropriate
promoter is a crucial component in the successful development of a seed trait," said Ofer Haviv, Evogene President and Chief
Executive Officer. "Evogene's broadly applicable biology-driven computational platform provides a very unique solution to this
need."
“We have great expectations towards this partnership with Evogene and we are sure that it will be crucial for
the success of our project of developing cotton GM plants resistant to boll weevil, key pest of this crop in South America,” said
Alvaro Salles, IMAmt Chief Executive Officer.
The agreement expands Evogene's activity in the field of promoter discovery and follows the Company’s recent
initial results for successful promoter validation.
About IMAmt:
Instituto Mato-grossense do Algodão (IMAmt) is a crop research and extension company, owned by Mato Grosso Cotton Grower’s
Association (Ampa, Cuiabá/ Brazil). Created in 2007, IMAmt release cotton, soybean and other crop varieties for farmers of
Brazilian’s cerrados, with technologies for herbicides, pests, diseases and nematode resistance. For more informations, please
visit www.imamt.com.br
About Evogene Ltd.:
Evogene (NYSE:EVGN) (TASE:EVGN) is a leading biotechnology company for the improvement of crop productivity for the food, feed and
fuel industries. The Company operates in three key market segments: improved seed traits (addressing yield and resistance to
diseases and environmental stresses); innovative ag-chemicals (developing novel herbicide solutions for weed control); and
ag-biologicals. Evogene has collaborations with world-leading seed and ag-chemical companies. For more information, please visit
www.evogene.com or contact the Company at info@evogene.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" relating to future
events. These statements may be identified by words such as "may", "could",
“expects”, "intends", “anticipates”, “plans”, “believes”, “scheduled”, “estimates” or words of similar
meaning. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions,
describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and
are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance or achievements of Evogene may differ
materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of
factors, many of which beyond Evogene's control, including, without limitation, those risk factors contained in
Evogene’s reports filed with the appropriate securities authority. Evogene disclaims any obligation or commitment to
update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates,
projections and assumptions.
Contact: Eyal Leibovitz, CFO E: IR@evogene.com T: +972 8931 1900
