Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) and Sapphire Energy, Inc. announced an agreement to enter a multi-year collaboration that will leverage Sapphire’s algae-based research platform to discover genes that could be applied to agriculture.
Monsanto also will make an equity investment in Sapphire. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
Sapphire Energy is known for its work in bio-energy, which involves applying synthetic biology to produce drop-in replacement fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from algae. This collaboration will enable Monsanto to tap Sapphire’s algal expertise and research tools, which can be used to screen for promising traits in algae that might have applicability in genetically-modified agricultural products.
Sapphire said the collaboration will help accelerate the company’s road to commercializing algae as a renewable energy crop.
“Sapphire’s expertise in algal research offers a novel platform that will allow us to screen and identify promising genes faster,” said Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s chief technology officer. “We face a common goal in looking for ways to improve upon an organism’s ability to achieve greater productivity under optimal and sub-optimal environmental conditions. Together with Sapphire, we can identify genes affecting such traits in algae that might also be applied to corn, cotton, soybeans and other crops.”
Algae are an excellent discovery tool because they have a similar photosynthetic process to other plants but are simple and efficient to work with, Fraley said. Algae also can be grown, screened, tested and selected with high throughput tools, which enables a relatively fast process for researchers.
Under the agreement, Monsanto and Sapphire will collaborate on algae-based research projects, and Monsanto will make an equity investment in Sapphire. Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
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