LOS ALAMOS, NM, July 30, 2019 / – Trait Biosciences Inc. (“Trait” or the “Company“), a biotechnology leader in the cannabis industry, is pleased to announce that it has generated the first engineered hemp plants with a value-added trait. The Company has successfully developed hemp plants that are producing four times the amount of cannabidiol (CBD) than conventional hemp plants. These Amplified™ hemp plants also had a 35% increase in the number of trichomes on the leaves of the plant, relative to the control plants.
These results were achieved using only one of the many strategies that comprise Trait’s Amplified™ technology and demonstrate its commercial potential. When all strategies are incorporated, Amplified™ plants are expected to grow faster and more efficiently than conventional plants, produce cannabinoid yields far in excess of conventional plants, and produce water-soluble cannabinoids naturally in the plant.The achievement was completed by Trait’s scientific team, led by Dr. Richard Sayre, in its licensed facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and was accomplished just over a month after Trait announced the first successful stable transformation of a hemp plant.
“Trait’s Amplified™ technology is comprised of a series of strategies that are designed to dramatically increase the production and yield of cannabinoids in hemp and cannabis plants, while at the same time greatly reducing the cost of production and extraction,” said Dr. Richard Sayre, Chief Science Officer of Trait. “The results we are announcing today reflect the work of only one of our Amplified™ strategies, which was specifically designed to increase cannabinoid production, as well as increase the number of trichomes that form on the plant.”
The actual cannabinoid yields in the Amplified™ plants were as follows (cannabinoid amounts are expressed in mass units per equivalent amount of leaf material extracted):
| Plant | THCA/THC
(mg/l) |
CBDA/CBD
(mg/l) |
Total Cannabinoids (mg/l) |
| Amplified™ | 1.75 ± 0.64 | 28.51 ± 8.37 | 45.69 ± 8.26 |
| Conventional | 0.43 ± 0.14 | 8.95 ± 2.06 | 25.50 ± 3.64 |
Peter McDonough, CEO of Trait, added: “What is truly remarkable about our team’s achievement is that these results were achieved using only one of the many strategies that comprise our Amplified™ cultivation technology. We had been conservatively estimating that our Amplified™ technology would increase yields by 2x – 4x, but based on the results of this initial strategy, we now feel confident that Trait’s breakthrough technology will more than quadruple the plant’s traditional yield.”
“As we introduce the other strategies — which include technologies that have been shown in field trials to double photosynthetic efficiency of the plant, technologies that eliminate the production of hydrogen peroxide during the synthesis of cannabinoids and, of course, our technology that enables hemp and cannabis plants to produce water-soluble cannabinoids naturally in the plants themselves — we are confident that we will exceed our expectations in the yield increases that can be achieved by our Amplified™ technology.”
Ronan Levy, Chief Strategy Officer of Trait, summed up the achievement as follows: “When you look at the totality of what our Amplified™ technology can do, you start to understand why the entire industry is excited about what Dr. Sayre and his team are achieving. Put simply, you get cannabis and hemp plants that grow faster, require less light and water, have a shorter growing period, and produce vastly more cannabinoids. On top of that, the cannabinoids that Amplified™ plants are synthesizing are truly water-soluble, which means they have higher bioavailability, faster and more predictable onset, and do not require toxic solvents to be extracted.”
About Trait Biosciences
With a team of internationally recognized scientists who are applying best-in-class technology and agricultural science, Trait Biosciences is an emerging biotechnology leader in the hemp and cannabis industries. Its consumer technology platforms provide breakthrough IP and science which produce enhanced cannabinoids featuring predictable onset timing, superior bioavailability, extended stability, and improved taste. Trait’s patent pending technologies include a process for generating water-soluble cannabinoids that does not rely on emulsion or nanotechnology. The company’s agricultural technologies increase crop yields and plant safety, including ultrahigh yield Amplified™ plants which dramatically increase a plant’s natural cannabinoid productivity, and its Defence™ RNAi crop protection technology, which eliminates the need for pesticides or fungicides, providing higher quality, safer, CBD-infused nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information
Certain information contained in this press release, including any information as to Trait Bioscience Inc.’s (the “Corporation”) strategy, projects, plans or future financial or operating performance, constitutes “forward-looking statements”. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words “will”, “expect”, “continue”, “assess”, “anticipate” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions; including material estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Corporation as at the date of this press release in light of each of management’s experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information.
Any forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date of this document and the Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although management of the Corporation believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.
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