Large Scale Biology Corporation (Nasdaq: LSBC) and Growers Research Group LLC (GRG) announced today that they have entered into a research license and option agreement centered on LSBC’s proprietary GENEWARE® plant gene expression technology. The license provides GRG with access to a key technology, developed internally and extensively patented by LSBC, to accelerate development of new products for use in agriculture.

The exclusive, worldwide research license should enable GRG to discover new approaches to crop protection. The agreement also provides an option for commercial rights to GENEWARE® technology that can be negotiated at the request of GRG.

Over the past years, GRG has sponsored considerable research at LSBC with a focus on developing new solutions for problems affecting important segments of the agricultural industry. This newly announced license and option agreement acknowledges the success of this early proof-of-concept research between the two companies and builds a structure for future interactions.

“Our cummulative research successes through the last five years motivate us to pursue further developments and to initiate plans to commercialize our concepts. GENEWARE® technology is the unique plant tool that enables our novel concepts,” stated Richard Smith, Managing Member of Growers Research Group.

“We are delighted to move into this new phase of our relationship with GRG. By providing GRG and its collaborators with access to an important gene expression technology, we will be maximizing our collective business opportunities by developing new products for agricultural use,” stated Gregory Pogue, Ph.D., LSBC’s Vice President, Research and Development. “By licensing a technology asset in a field of use which is
no longer part of our core portfolio, we generate value for LSBC while focusing our efforts in our core business, namely, the development of novel and follow-on plant-made biopharmaceuticals,” Dr. Pogue added.

Growers Research Group, LLC is a private company whose members are a consortium of California agribusiness concerns, organized for the purpose of conducting research for the protection, promotion and development of agriculture and for the commercial application of the results of that research.

Large Scale Biology Corporation is a biotechnology company developing and biomanufacturing biotherapeutics, vaccines and industrial proteins for important life science industry markets. Corporate headquarters, molecular biology and product design laboratories are located in Vacaville, California, and the Company's bioprocess development and commercial-scale biomanufacturing facilities are located in Owensboro, Kentucky. In addition to its class-leading internal capabilities, LSBC relies on a network of industry, government and academic collaborators throughout the US and Europe to achieve rapid, commercially relevant product discovery, optimization, manufacturing and distribution.