Cibus (CBUS) Canaccord Genuity 44th Annual Growth Conference & Private Company Showcase 2024 summary

Industry leadership and technology overview

• Leading advancements in agricultural gene editing, focusing on traits that improve farming efficiency and sustainability.

• Gene editing enables precise, small changes in plant genomes, making crops indistinguishable from those bred conventionally.

• Regulatory acceptance is growing, with over 18 countries harmonizing policies to treat gene-edited crops like traditional varieties.

• Technology allows for rapid trait insertion, with turnaround times as short as 12 months for new seed traits.

• High conversion rates in gene editing, achieving up to 50% efficiency in some manufacturing processes.

Regulatory and market developments

• U.S., Europe, and Canada now consider gene-edited crops as conventional, streamlining approvals and market entry.

• European Parliament has passed supportive legislation, expected to be fully enacted by early next year.

• Global harmonization of gene editing regulations is facilitating international trade and adoption.

• Approval processes focus on varietal registration and quality assurance rather than lengthy drug-like approvals.

• Customers are seed companies, who rapidly integrate new traits and launch products within 1-2 years, reaching saturation in 3 years.

Product pipeline and commercialization

• Herbicide tolerance traits (HT1, HT3) are being adopted in rice and other crops, with major customers like Nutrien and Latin American partners signed on.

• Stacked gene-edited traits enable more effective weed management and are a first in the industry.

• Field trials in the U.K. for pod shatter reduction in oilseed rape are underway, with results expected in Q3.

• Specialty ingredients and bio-fragrances are in development, with first shipments of bio-fragrances expected this year.

• Sustainable ingredients will launch after completion of the soybean platform.