FGN Futuragene

 

TIDMFGN 
 
RNS Number : 5482V 
Futuragene PLC 
13 July 2009 
 

 
 
 
 
FUTURAGENE PLC ("FuturaGene" or the "Company") 
 
 
FuturaGene's Wholly Owned Subsidiaries, CBD Technologies LTD and FuturaGene 
Investment Consulting (Beijing) Expand their Collaboration Agreement with the 
Research Institute of Tropic Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry. 
 
 
Rehovoth, Israel 
 13th July, 2009 
 
 
FuturaGene, which develops environmentally friendly solutions that enhance 
yields and improve the processability of plants for forestry, biofuels, biopower 
and agriculture, is pleased to announce that the company and its wholly owned 
subsidiaries, CBD Technologies Ltd. and FuturaGene Investment Consulting Co. 
Ltd. (Beijing) have agreed to extend their September 2007 Collaboration 
Agreement with the Research Institute of Tropic Forestry (RITF), which is aimed 
at the development of improved eucalyptus varieties. Under the terms of the 
amendment to the agreement, CBD Technologies Ltd. will share new genetic 
solutions with RITF to impart resistance to Bacterial Wilt, a serious disease of 
eucalyptus. RITF will utilize this technology to modify Chinese eucalyptus 
varieties to enhance their resistance to Bacterial Wilt disease.  The parties 
will share equally the commercialization rights to the resistant varieties in 
the Chinese domestic market. 
 
 
According to China's State Forestry Administration, total eucalyptus plantations 
in China were estimated to cover approximately 2 million hectares in 2008 with a 
projected growth to 2.5 million hectares by 2010. Eucalyptus trees are planted 
in 18 provinces in China and major plantation areas are located in the provinces 
of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian and Yunnan. 
 
Bacterial Wilt disease is caused by the soil bacteria Ralstonia solanacearum. 
The bacteria invade plants via roots or stem wounds and propagate in stem 
tissue, resulting in necrosis; the leaves wilt and the roots rot leading to the 
death of the trees within several weeks, in the case of acute infection or 
within 3 to 6 months in chronic disease. Bacterial Wilt disease has become 
widely dispersed in the major plantation provinces of China. Infection rates 
range from 20% to 40 % of young, disease-sensitive eucalyptus clones. The 
highest infection rates of up to 88% were reported in forest farms in Guangxi 
province at the end of 2006. The disease has the potential to infect entire 
forests or regions, causing enormous economic losses. 
 
Dr. Stanley Hirsch, Group CEO of FuturaGene commented: "We believe that the 
extension of our relationship with RITF is of critical economic importance to a 
significant forestry activity in Southern China. As the effects of climate 
change increasingly manifest themselves, plant diseases are becoming more 
rampant and effective solutions are desperately needed. We stated in our latest 
annual report that we were beginning to move into the area of biotic stress, as 
part of our program for sustainable agriculture and yield protection. With this 
extension to our joint activities with RITF, we hope to deal both with a rapidly 
spreading disease and ensure the sustainability of eucalyptus farming and the 
livelihood it provides to the local communities and farmers. 
 
 
Dr. Xu Daping, Director and Chief Research Scientist of RITF stated: 
 
 
"We are pleased to extend our collaboration with the FuturaGene Group, one of 
the most experienced groups in the field of forest biotechnology today.  Based 
on our ongoing collaboration, we are confident that FuturaGene can make a 
significant contribution to the development of eucalyptus varieties with 
enhanced resistance to the Bacterial Wilt disease. We believe that this project 
can have a most significant environmental and commercial impact in China". 
 
 
 
 
FuturaGene Plc 
Mark Pritchard, Chairman +44 (0) 7802 827 846 
Dr. Stanley Hirsch, Group CEO+972 544 56 2724 
 
 
Evolution Securities 
Neil Elliot                                               +44 (0) 20 7071 4300 
 
 
 
 
About FuturaGene PLC 
 
 
FGN is a leading agricultural biotechnology company focused on research, 
development, and commercialization of technologies that play key roles in 
substantially improving agronomic traits of value in plants. In particular the 
Company is focused on the development and commercialization of genetically 
modified plants for improving and protecting yields, and enhancing 
processability and environmental sustainability in the forestry, biofuels, 
biopower and agricultural sectors. In addition to its in-house discovery 
program, FuturaGene licenses intellectual property from leading universities in 
its strategic fields of interest and is exploiting the synergies of these 
technologies with the cell wall modification platform of its wholly owned 
subsidiary, CBD Technologies, Inc. (CBD Tech) in forestry, biofuel, biopower, 
food and feed crops. 
 
 
CBD Tech has pioneered a modality for modifying plant cell walls, resulting in 
enhanced growth and biomass, increased cellulose, improved fiber properties, 
improved digestibility and processability, and increased yield properties and 
has secured broad intellectual property covering plants with modified cell walls 
showing such altered properties. More information is available at 
www.futuragene.com 
 
 
About RITF 
The Research Institute of Tropic Forestry (RITF) is one of the regional 
scientific research institutes within the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) 
under the State Forestry Administration (SFA), China. Established some 45 years 
ago, RITF is one of China's leading forestry research institutes and aims to 
become a leading international research institute for tropical forestry in the 
next 15 years by optimising its resources, increasing its innovative ability and 
enhancing its scientific and technological operations. The mission of RITF is to 
conduct research to support the development of forestry in tropical and southern 
subtropical China. It has a number of research facilities: a national key field 
scientific experimental station, a SFA key open laboratory, the 
Hainan Chenlonggou nature reserve administered by the SFA, Jianfengling tropical 
forestry experimental station and Yangxi experimental base in 
Guangdong Province. 
 
 
About the Chinese Academy of Forestry 
Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) was founded in 1958 based on the former 
Central Research Institute of Forestry established in 1953. The academy has over 
4,400 staff, including researchers, engineers, and technicians, involved in more 
than 150 disciplines and is authorized to award advanced academic degrees in a 
number of fields. Having research offices and satellite institutions in a number 
of sites around China as well as more than 60,000 hectares of experimental 
lands, CAF is in the mainstream of tree development and breeding in China 
 
 
 
This information is provided by RNS 
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange 
   END 
 
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