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News Release
BT TECHNOLOGY PATENT BOLSTERS MYCOGEN�S POSITION FOR INSECT-RESISTANT PLANTS
1/20/1998 SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Mycogen Corporation today received a U.S. patent covering shortened Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene sequences that are used to develop insect resistant plants and biopesticides.
Mycogen's patent (U.S. Patent No. 5,710,020) contains broad claims for methods of producing insecticidal proteins using partial Bt genes and composition of matter claims covering cells containing shortened Bt gene sequences. Mycogen's President, Carl Eibl, said that the new patent, resulting from an application filed in June 1984, strengthens and broadens the company's proprietary position for plants and seeds carrying built-in pest-resistance.
"This patent covers our method of truncating Bt gene sequences and using those sequences to produce active Bt toxins as well as cells transformed with truncated Bt genes," Eibl said. "It is quite broad in that it isn't limited to any particular type of Bt gene or cell, including plant cells."
In 1995 and 1996, Mycogen was awarded a series of U.S. and foreign patents for technology used to make synthetic Bt genes that more closely resemble plant genes, another gene modification approach that has been used to improve expression of Bt-based insect-control proteins in plants. In 1996, Mycogen filed a patent infringement suit claiming that Monsanto Company and its licensees, Delta and Pine Land Co. and DeKalb Genetics, used Mycogen's synthetic Bt technology to develop seeds for insect resistant cotton, corn and other crops. Jury selection was scheduled to began today in Federal Court in Wilmington, Delaware, for a trial that will decide whether the Monsanto, DeKalb and Delta and Pine Land seed products infringe those patents and, if so, what damages or other remedies Mycogen will receive.
Mycogen is a diversified agribusiness and biotechnology company that develops and markets seeds and value-added traits for genetically enhanced crops and provides crop protection products and services. Mycogen (Nasdaq: MYCO) is majority owned by Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW). The forward-looking statements in this document are based on projections and estimates regarding the economy and the seed and crop protection industries. Various factors could cause actual results to vary significantly from management's expectations. These include the impact of weather on production and sales, actions by competitors and regulatory agencies, intellectual property positions, commodity prices, fluctuations in crop acreage and the effectiveness of internal expense controls.
For more information about Mycogen, please call 1-888-SEE-MYCO (1-888-733-6926) or visit Mycogen's website at www.mycogen.com.
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