Biotech Updates

D1 Oils and KeyGene to Collaborate on Jatropha Research

October 5, 2007

The UK based biodiesel producer D1 Oils Plc. has signed an agreement with KeyGene NV of the Netherlands, a company focusing on biotechnology for the plant breeding industry, to pursue molecular genetics research in Jatropha curcas. Jatropha is an oilseed plant that grows in tropical and semi-arid regions and produces inedible vegetable oil that can be processed to biodiesel.

Under the agreement, D1 will be given exclusive rights on research and molecular services carried out by KeyGene on jatropha. Genetic fingerprinting will be used to locate markers associated with high oil yield in the plant, which may be of great use in developing high yielding jatropha cultivars. Elliott Mannis, Chief Executive Officer of D1 Oils, said that understanding the genetic profile of jatropha will be crucial for its rapid commercialization as a sustainable energy crop.

Read the press release at http://www.d1plc.com/news.php?article=164