In late 2020, Yield10 Bioscience, a US agricultural bioscience company, was granted an exclusive technology license from Rothamsted Research, a UK-based agricultural research institute, to produce omega-3 products from camelina. Since then, Yield10 has been collaborating with Rothamsted to develop omega-3 oils in camelina as part of Rothamsted’s Flagship Program.
Yield10 plans to use engineered camelina to commercially produce omega-3 oil and meal products for the aquafeed, pet food, and nutritional markets. President and CEO of Yield10 Bioscience, Oliver Peoples, stated that they are on a path to commercializing omega-3 producing varieties of camelina with the help of Rothamsted’s technology. By 2024, they aim to scale-up omega-3 producing camelina and submit key regulatory filings in preparation for an initial commercial launch into the oil and meal markets.
Rothamsted Research is located in Harpenden and is a leading non-profit research center focusing on strategic agricultural science. Over the past decade, their team led by science director Prof Johnathan Napier has successfully produced docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) oils in camelina seed. Yield10 is headquartered in Woburn with a Canadian subsidiary and specializes in developing crop systems and utilizing trait factories and fast field testing systems to develop seed traits for agriculture and food industries.
Yield10 is also partnering with major agricultural companies to introduce new traits for canola, soybean, corn, and other crops. They are also working on developing improved camelina varieties as a platform crop for producing and commercializing nutritional oils, proteins, and bioplastics.
