Origin inks Shunfeng patent deal to enhance gene editing

BEIJING, Nov. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Origin Agritech Ltd. (NASDAQ: SEED) (the "Company" or "Origin"), a leading Chinese agricultural technology company, today announced it has entered into a patent license agreement with Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. ("Shunfeng BioTech") for the Cas-SF01 gene editing tool. This collaboration grants Origin long-term access to fully IP-protected gene editing technologies, providing a solid foundation for the Company's future research and development in trait gene editing. It also aims to accelerate the adoption of advanced gene editing technologies in corn breeding, marking a significant milestone in Origin's efforts to develop high-density, high-yield, and adaptable corn varieties.

Advancing Breeding with Gene Editing Technology

The partnership builds upon Origin Agritech's long-term collaboration with China Agricultural University. Together, they identified two key regulatory genes controlling corn leaf angle—ZmRAVL1 and ZmDWF4—whose functional studies have been published in Science and Nature, respectively.

Using Shunfeng BioTech's proprietary Cas-SF01 gene editing platform, researchers successfully developed a series of edited corn induction lines, including ZmRAVL1-KO1 and ZmDWF4-KO1.

Origin's acquisition of these edited corn induction lines addresses three strategic objectives:

• Biosafety Compliance: Essential for completing evaluations required for agricultural gene editing
• Direct Breeding Resources: Immediate application in future commercial hybrid development
• Core Technology Foundation: Central to Origin's "Smart Plant Architecture" corn breeding program

Technological Breakthrough: "Smart Plant Architecture" for Enhanced Yields

Functional validation demonstrates that ZmRAVL1-KO1 and ZmDWF4-KO1 effectively optimize corn leaf angle, creating a canopy structure characterized by compact upper leaves and open lower leaves. This "smart plant architecture" significantly improves field light interception and airflow, enabling higher planting density and greater yield potential.

"Enhancing corn yield through increased planting density has long been a global breeding goal, but traditional methods have limited progress," said Mr. Bill Deng, VP and Head of R&D at Origin Agritech. "These edited induction lines enable precise and efficient improvement of plant architecture in elite germplasm. Combined with our proprietary Hi-3 induction line gene editing technology, we can complete variety upgrades rapidly while avoiding the genetic drag associated with conventional backcrossing."

Commercialization Roadmap: Advancing Biosafety Evaluation

Origin Agritech has initiated the biosafety assessment process for the edited lines. Additionally, this license agreement provides a substantial advantage by facilitating biosafety approval for Origin's current and future gene editing transformants utilizing Hi-3 one-step gene-editing method, for some of which the Company has already applied. The Company estimates obtaining final biosafety certification will require 1-2 years due to regulatory procedures and experimental timelines. Origin is committed to advancing this process and accelerating the commercialization of its gene editing innovations.

Deng continued, "The signing of this patent license agreement marks a significant step forward in Origin Agritech's gene editing breeding strategy. By integrating world-class research resources with innovative biotechnological tools, we are building a modern breeding innovation system with proprietary intellectual property, contributing to China's agricultural technology advancement and national food security."

The Company also maintains an X account to update investors on company and industry developments, which can be found at https://x.com/origin_agritech.