BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Doing the plant shuffle

February 1, 1999 8:00 AM UTC

Maxygen Inc. and Diversa Corp. have both netted transgenic crop collaborations that will use their competing gene optimization skills to alter genes with the aim of improving plant traits.

Maxygen and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. (Des Moines, Iowa) will identify commercial opportunities for transgenic crops, then find genes involved in relevant plant traits such as herbicide or insect resistance. The genes will come primarily from Pioneer because of its greater experience in selecting the genes it is interested in, said Maxygen CEO Russell Howard. Pioneer also has a corn genome sequencing agreement with Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGSI, Rockville, Md.)...