AG BIOTECH: Rice Genome Sequence Completed

Applied Genetics News,  Feb, 2001  

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Myriad Genetics, Inc. (320 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108; Tel: 801/584-3600, Fax: 801/584-3640; Website: www.myriad.com) has completed DNA sequencing of the entire rice genome in collaboration with the Torrey Mesa Research Institute (TMRI, formerly Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute, Inc.), a subsidiary of Syngenta (Website: www.syngenta.com) and Clemson University Genome Institute. Myriad completed the high-throughput sequencing component of the genome six months ahead of schedule and under budget, triggering a $3 million cash bonus payment to Myriad.

The rice genome is the first agriculturally important crop to be sequenced. Rice is the largest commercial crop in the world - over 600 million tons are produced annually. The rice genome is made up of 430 million bases of DNA, representing approximately 50,000 genes. The genome map will assist crop researchers and plant breeders in the development of new rice varieties with enhanced characteristics. It may also serve as a model for other cereal crops, such as corn and wheat.

"Our Syngenta collaboration highlights many of Myriad's strengths, including our strategy of building multiple sources of near-term revenue generation," says Peter Meldrum, president and chief executive officer of Myriad Genetics, Inc. "The alliance has demonstrated our ability to move away from mere royalties toward 50:50 profit sharing agreements on the use of our technologies."

Myriad and Syngenta will make the rice genome data available to researchers worldwide through research contracts. In the developing world, where rice is a vital crop, Syngenta will work with local research institutes to explore how this information can best be used to find crop improvements to benefit subsistence farmers.

Syngenta has made a public release of some rice genome sequence information, having released over 100,000 sequences from its program with the Clemson University Genome Institute (CUGI) onto the CUGI website.

"Understanding cereal genetic structure and associated proteins will enable plant breeders to produce crops that are more nutritious, more productive, and easier to process," says David Evans, head of research and technology at Syngenta. "We will also research new ways to protect crops from diseases or pests and discover new uses for crop plants."

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