Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. announced the Australia Patent Office has granted the company a foundational patent covering herbicide tolerance in wheat. Patent Number 2016288257 grants intellectual property protection for mutations to the wheat genome to make it herbicide tolerant. The company also received a U.S. Notice of Allowance 15/740,876 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the same technology. Australia and the United States are the first major wheat-producing countries to approve the patents, with additional patents pending in other key wheat markets.
“This technology will serve as the foundation for future innovation in herbicide tolerance in wheat,” says Randy Shultz, PhD, chief technology officer at Arcadia Biosciences. “With additional research, this technology could also open the door to development of a highly efficient hybrid wheat production system, which would transform the wheat industry.”
Arcadia is currently soliciting potential licensing partners for its herbicide tolerant wheat technology.
“This technology can be an important tool in the hybrid breeding toolkit for the right wheat innovator,” adds Sarah Reiter, chief commercial officer at Arcadia.
