Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. announced that U.K.-based Rothamsted Research Limited has granted to the Company an exclusive global, commercial license to advanced technology for producing sustainable omega-3 products in Camelina sativa. Yield10 is executing a plan to use engineered Camelina to commercially produce omega-3 oil and meal products targeting the aquafeed, petfood, and nutritional markets for omega-3 fatty acids. In consideration for the commercial license, Yield10 is expected to pay certain license fees, future milestone payments, and royalties based on commercialization of Rothamsted?s omega-3 technology.

Producing omega-3 fatty acids in engineered Camelina may represent a way to enable a predictable, land-based supply of high-quality omega-3 oils to meet the growing global demand for eicosapentaenoic acid (?EPA?) and docosahexaenoic acid (?DHA?). Currently, the primary source of EPA and DHA is ocean-caught fish, where omega-3 oil produced from anchovy harvest is the industry benchmark. Over the last few years, there has been increasing pressure on the supply of omega-3 oil due to over-fishing.

The potential market opportunity for omega-3 fatty acids produced in Camelina includes use in pharmaceutical (ethyl-EPA) products, dietary supplements, and food and feed ingredients. In late 2020, Yield10 began a collaboration with Rothamsted to support Rothamsted?s Flagship Program to develop omega-3 oils in Camelina. The advanced technology developed by Rothamsted enables the sustainable, plant-based production of omega-3 nutritional oils in Camelina.

Over the last decade, the Rothamsted team, led by Professor Johnathan Napier, Ph.D., Science Director, has demonstrated the production of omega-3 oils in Camelina seed and conducted evaluations of the oils in salmon feeding and human clinical studies to demonstrate lipid lowering effects. Recent Achievements in Yield10?s Omega-3 Camelina Program: In the spring of 2024, Yield10 planted omega-3 (EPA and EPA+DHA) Camelina to scale up seed. Yield10 is also field testing for the first time herbicide tolerant omega-3 Camelina lines to guide selection of commercial quality lead and back-up lines.

In the fall of 2023, Yield10 planted omega-3 (EPA) Camelina at the 50 acre-scale in Chile to produce oil for use in business development activities. The crop was harvested in early 2024. In March of 2024, USDA-APHIS provided a positive response to the Company's announced filings for two requests for a Regulatory Status Review (?RSR?) with USDA-APHIS's Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) under the SECURE Rule for proprietary elite Camelina varieties containing genes enabling the plant to produce the EPA and EPA+DHA components of omega-3 oil.

Yield10 plans to conduct seed scale-up activities with omega-3 Camelina in 2024. Omega-3 fatty acids are used in aquafeed as well as for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products. In November of 2023, USDA-APHIS determined that Yield10?s glufosinate tolerant Camelina as well as its stacked herbicide tolerant Camelina may be planted and bred in the United States in response to two RSR packages submitted by Yield10.

In October 2023, Yield10 announced it had signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (?LOI?) with BioMar Group, a global aquafeed producer, to form a partnership to commercialize Camelina engineered to produce omega-3 oil for use as a high-quality supplement to the scarce supply of marine long-chain fatty acids used in aquafeed. The companies are working to develop a collaborative program to bring this new source of high-quality EPA and EPA+DHA omega-3 oils to the market.