December 16, 2021

By Lynda Kienan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Based in Paris, France, Meiogenix is an agricultural biotech company using gene and chromosome editing to create greater genetic diversity in our food and agriculture ecosystems. 

Through its platform, Meiogenix has developed a novel approach to common challenges in agriculture, and key issues being faced by our global food systems and industries. By applying gene and chromosome editing technologies, Meiogenix is able to accelerate the natural generation of biodiversity through the mixing of parental genomes during plant reproduction.

This ability expedites the laborious process of plant variety selection, and also results in increased biodiversity typically lost during the systemic selection of crops for high yields and longer shelf life. Furthermore, the ability to restore a plant’s natural immunity to pests and diseases, or to improve the quality, taste, and flavor in a range of crops has the potential to revolutionize the agrifood tech sector while increasing access to natural food products with less chemical exposure during their growth cycle.

To advance this work, Sofinnova Partners has led a $13 million Series A round for the company, which was joined by Genoa Ventures, Bpifance, Casdin Capital, and Alexandria Venture Investments.

“This investment reflects our expanding interest in the application of biotech in agriculture,” said Michael Krel, partner, Sofinnova Partners, and a key member of the Sofinnova Industrial Biotech Funds. “Meiogenix has the potential to revolutionize the way we enhance the natural properties of plants so that they are more resistant to viruses, better tasting, and produce higher yield. We are confident in this team’s ability to bring its groundbreaking science to significantly improve the safety and sustainability of our global food systems.”

With collaborations already in place with Cornell and Bayer, the Meiogenix platform is addressing the $50 billion commercial seed market and breeding capabilities of the world’s largest crops such as corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, and tomatoes.

“Our investment in Meiogenix is based on their unique approach to solving critical bottlenecks in food production for the commercial seed industry, a rapidly growing market expected to surpass $60 billion by 2025,” said Jenny Rooke, Ph.D., founder and managing director, Genoa Ventures.

“The agriculture industry is ripe for translating great innovations in life sciences to agricultural applications, and leaders in the space are investing heavily in the latest gene editing technologies to accelerate improved product development,” continued Rooke. “Meiogenix’s relationships with innovative industry leaders like Bayer further demonstrate the enormous potential for the Meiogenix platform to usher in the next stage of progress for the agricultural industry.”

Indeed, Luc Mathis, CEO of Meiogenix, noted that this funding is being secured by the company at an exciting stage of its evolution, stating, “We’re at an exciting stage of our development. The Series A funding will provide capital for our implementation in the United States and further product development. The caliber of our global investor syndicate reflects our international expansion strategy to pursue innovation in Europe and focus product development in North America.”

– Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Oilseed & Grain News. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.