Cellectis collects €3M upfront in genome engineering deal with Monsanto

Collaboration agreement

Genome engineering specialist Cellectis SA of Romainville, France, has announced a non-exclusive research and commercial licence agreement with the agricultural technology giant Monsanto to apply Cellectis’ meganuclease technology to crop plants.

Meganucleases are molecular scissors that can be directed to a single site in the genome of a plant cell, thereby allowing a wide range of precise genome modifications, including gene stacking, gene knock-out and modulation of gene function, to develop new traits. Under the agreement, Monsanto will have access to Cellectis’ intellectual property on meganucleases and its custom meganuclease production platform.

Cellectis, which was spun out of the Institut Pasteur in 2000, will receive an upfront payment of €3 million, and subject to shareholder approval Monsanto will make an equity investment of €1 million to allow Cellectis to scale the technology for agriculture.

Cellectis will also receive fees for the development of each meganuclease, success-based milestones and may receive royalties on certain traits commercialised by Monsanto. Further financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.