Ben-Gurion University of the Negev signs collaborative contract with Bayer CropScience

BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, April 8, 2009 – Extreme temperatures and limited water availability are major stresses for plants and cause dramatic losses to agriculture around the world. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has announced the establishment of a research collaboration with Bayer BioScience N.V., a subsidiary of Bayer CropScience based in Ghent, Belgium, to develop solutions to these challenges. The agreement builds upon the expertise and breakthrough results from Dr. Simon Barak's laboratory at the University's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR).

Barak's team is using a combination of approaches to identify genes that allow plants to tolerate the harsh environmental stresses characteristic of arid regions. Two of these genes have been studied in detail and the team found that by removing either of the two genes, the tolerance of the model plant, Arabidopsis, to heat, salt and drought could be increased. This study was published recently in Plant Physiology, an internationally renowned journal.

Signed between BGN Technologies – the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev– and Bayer CropScience, the agreement will allow the identification of additional genes that have an effect on making plants more "stress-resistant". Barak, a member of the French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands at the BIDR, noted that the new collaboration will allow his team to further sift through the estimated 30,000 Arabidopsis genes to identify additional candidate stress tolerance genes.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was created to spearhead the development of the Negev desert, a region comprising more than 60% of Israel. The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research is situated in Sede Boker and is a world leader in arid zone research.

BGN Technologies is the Technology Transfer Company of Ben-Gurion University, responsible for the commercialization of know-how and inventions of the University's researchers. Through the development of novel University technologies and creative partnering with industry and investors, BGN brings value to the technological marketplace.

BioScience, one of the three business groups of Bayer CropScience AG, plays a prominent international role in the development and commercialization of seeds and traits for agricultural crops. The company uses plant biotechnology and refinement techniques to develop varieties that are adapted to the requirements of tomorrow's agriculture. BioScience has more that 2100 employees worldwide and is headquartered in Lyon, France.

For more information: contact Dr. Simon Barak: +972-8-659-6750; simon@bgu.ac.il or Dr. Ora Horovitz, VP for Business Development, BGN Technologies Ltd., at +972 8 623-6949; orabgn@bgu.ac.il

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 6.4 billion (2008), is one of the world's leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of more than 18,000 and is represented in more than 120 countries.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a world-renowned institute of research and higher learning with 18,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boker and Eilat in Israel's southern desert. It is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev. Founded in 1972, American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev plays a vital role in helping the University fulfill its unique responsibility to develop the Negev, reach out to its local community and its Arab neighbors, and share its expertise with the world. For more information, please visit www.aabgu.org.