Hudson River Biotechnology and Pairwise Sign Fulcrum® Licensing Agreement

Wageningen, Netherlands and Durham, N.C. — May 26, 2026 — Hudson River Biotechnology (Hudson River) and Pairwise have signed a licensing agreement giving Hudson River access to the Fulcrum® plant gene editing platform. Hudson River will integrate Fulcrum® tools into its editing services, which it offers to crop improvement customers working in vegetable, soft fruit, and other species.

Hudson River is an independent plant biotechnology company based in the Netherlands, specializing in genome editing, plant regeneration and trait development. A Fulcrum® license gives Hudson River access to a broader set of editing tools, complementing their established BioMaas workflow.

"Our customers increasingly recognize genome editing as a crucial part of their breeding tools and come to us for our ability to apply this technology in a transgene-free manner directly in elite lines and flexible partnership models,” said Lotte Westerhof, CSO of Hudson River. “Fulcrum® expands the editing toolbox we can offer, enabling us to support a broader range of applications and opportunities for our customers."

"Partnerships like this one are how Fulcrum® reaches more breeders and more crops," said Ian Miller, COO of Pairwise. "We’re excited to work with Hudson River extending our platform for specialty crops where their customers are already active — accelerating the delivery of beneficial crops to agriculture."

Fulcrum® is Pairwise's integrated plant gene editing platform, encompassing gene editing tools, enzymes, and trait libraries that enable precise changes across a wide range of crop species. The platform is developed and proven in Pairwise's own breeding programs and is made available to partners and licensees worldwide.

About Hudson River Biotechnology

Hudson River Biotechnology is an independent plant biotechnology company focused on advancing crop improvement for a more resilient and sustainable bioeconomy. Combining expertise in genome editing, plant regeneration, and trait development, Hudson River enables breeding companies to integrate next-generation breeding technologies into commercial crop development. For more information, email info@hrb.bio.

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture's gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by CRISPR pioneers, our Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As trusted partners to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, we help breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovations that make food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.

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Pairwise, a global innovator in agriculture, today announced a licensing agreement with Ball® Horticultural Company (Ball), one of the world’s leading ornamental plant breeders and distributors, granting Ball access to Pairwise’s Fulcrum® genome editing platform. The agreement includes a commercial option that would allow Ball to bring edited ornamental varieties to the global market.

Ball will integrate Fulcrum® tools into its research and development pipeline to create ornamental varieties with improved sustainability, performance, and consumer appeal. The license covers a broad range of Ball’s core crop portfolio, including roses, impatiens, petunias, hydrangeas, dianthus, begonias, and more than 40 other ornamental species. It marks the first application of Fulcrum® technology in ornamental crops, bringing precision genome editing to a multi-billion-dollar global market.

“Genome editing has the potential to reshape what’s possible in ornamental breeding,” said Jason Jandrew, Chief Research and Development Officer of Ball Horticultural Company. “We’re excited about what the intersection of our deep knowledge of genetics and traditional breeding, coupled with advanced technologies like Fulcrum®, can bring to delight our customers and serve our mission to color the world.”

“Pairwise built Fulcrum® to empower innovators across all of plant science, and Ball Horticultural Company is exactly the kind of partner we envisioned when we designed the platform for broad applicability,” said Dr. Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise. “This agreement is a meaningful proof point that Fulcrum®’s precision and performance translate across crop systems, from staple crops to ornamental horticulture.”

The Pairwise Fulcrum® platform includes proprietary gene editing tools, enzymes, and trait libraries that enable precise genetic changes, unlocking plants’ inherent potential and significantly accelerating the development of impactful traits compared to traditional breeding methods. The licensing will cover research and commercial purposes.

About Ball® Horticultural Company

Ball Horticultural Company is a world leader in the research, breeding, production, and marketing of ornamental crops. Founded in 1905 and now in its fourth generation of family ownership, Ball operates across six continents in 20 countries, connecting breeders, growers, and retailers with award-winning plants and seeds. The company’s mission is to color the world by delivering plants that fit modern lifestyles while acting as a responsible steward of natural resources. For more information, visit www.ballhort.com.

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture’s gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by early pioneers of CRISPR, Pairwise’s Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As a trusted partner to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, Pairwise helps breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.

Durham, NC — Pairwise, a global innovator in precision breeding, today announced that CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, has signed a commercial license to Pairwise's Fulcrum® platform. The agreement is among the broadest licenses Pairwise has issued to date, covering plants, livestock, aquaculture, and microbes — putting Fulcrum's advanced gene editing capabilities directly in the hands of researchers across one of the world's largest and most diverse scientific research organizations.

CSIRO's mission spans the full breadth of Australian science and this agreement ensures that researchers have access to the Fulcrum® suite of CRISPR-based tools, including the SHARC™ enzyme, to accelerate discovery and innovation across a wide range of organisms and applications.

Dr Jason Geijskes, Trait Innovation Group Leader said CSIRO has a long history of delivering on farm impact in Australian agriculture systems through application of advanced breeding tools and technologies.

“Access to the Fulcrum® platform of precision breeding technologies will support the rapid development of traits which improve farm productivity and sustainability, and have direct benefits for consumers, across Australia and globally.”

"We are proud to announce this agreement with CSIRO, which will enable some of the world's most talented researchers to harness Fulcrum® across an extraordinary range of applications,” said Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise. “The scope of this license is a reflection of just how versatile precision gene editing has become to address so many challenges.”

The Pairwise Fulcrum® platform includes gene editing tools, enzymes, and trait libraries that enable precise, targeted modifications across a wide range of organisms —accelerating scientific discovery and the development of solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.

About Pairwise

Pairwise is agriculture's gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by the inventors of CRISPR, our Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As trusted partners to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, we help breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com