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Pairwise and Plant Sciences, Inc. (PSI) to partner to bring new varieties of black raspberries, red raspberries, and blackberries to market in the U.S.

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April 15, 2020

Pairwise and Plant Sciences, Inc. (PSI) to partner to bring new varieties of black raspberries, red raspberries, and blackberries to market in the U.S.

Pairwise and Plant Sciences, Inc. collaborate to develop new black raspberries, red raspberries, and blackberries for consumers seeking variety in produce.

Pairwise, a food tech company, and Plant Sciences, Inc. (PSI), a leading berry breeder and agricultural research company, today announced a collaboration to offer exciting new types of berries for people looking for variety in their produce choices. Teams will focus on black and red raspberries, as well as blackberries.

“At Pairwise, we want to make healthy eating easier,” said Pairwise CEO Tom Adams. “Now, more than ever, people are focused on their food options and looking for ways to make healthy choices at home. Through the collaboration with PSI, we are moving from science partnerships to product partnerships that will bring new berries to market.”

Pairwise will use its unique gene editing capabilities, and access to critically important germplasm provided by PSI, to improve taste and convenience, as well as increase shelf-life and off-season availability of berries. This collaboration builds on a unique public/private partnership Pairwise and PSI previously established with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and several leading academic institutions to identify diverse, novel types of berries that are not broadly bred for commercial sale today.

For example, black raspberries today have a limited growing season and are not widely available to American consumers. These berries, which naturally have five times more antioxidants than blueberries, could be made broadly available with breeding updates that expand growing seasons enabling year-round production.

“Building on decades of successful berry breeding experience, we will work with Pairwise to identify and advance innovation that will benefit the berry landscape,” said PSI’s Chief Executive Officer Steve Nelson. “This partnership will afford us the opportunity to bring to consumers novel and natural superfoods that were previously out of reach.”

As part of the collaboration, PSI will use their commercial nurseries to grow plantlets for these new improved varieties. Pairwise and PSI will ultimately license farmers to plant, grow and produce these new types of berries.

“Berries are one of the fastest growing produce categories in the United States, but this is largely concentrated on just a few varieties. Imagine having dozens of new berry varieties that offer more choice and flavor in healthy food options,” said Pairwise Chief Business Officer Haven Baker. “By combining Pairwise’s gene editing capabilities and PSI’s germplasm and industry expertise, we will bring better, more sustainable berries to consumers across the country.”

Teams have already begun working together and will be establishing timelines for each product’s development and availability. Initial berries are expected to be available in the next few years.

According to Mintel’s GNPD, only about three percent of new foods introduced in U.S. markets each year are fruits and vegetables. However, in caneberries alone, teams have evaluated hundreds of varieties available in nature, but not grown or bred for consumer use. In fact, gene editing enables breeding experts and growers to bring to market new varieties within mere years, as compared to decades, if achievable at all.ews

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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.

Pairwise Licenses Fulcrum® CRISPR Platform to Ball® Horticultural Company

Agreement marks first application of Fulcrum® technology in ornamental crops, expanding precision breeding beyond food and agriculture

Pairwise Licenses Fulcrum® Platform to CSIRO, Australia's national science agency

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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

Pairwise Licenses Fulcrum® Platform to CSIRO, Australia's national science agency

One of the world's most broad-reaching scientific institutions gains access to Pairwise's gene editing tools across plants, livestock, aquaculture, and microbes

Pairwise and Plant Sciences, Inc. (PSI) to partner to bring new varieties of black raspberries, red raspberries, and blackberries to market in the U.S.

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