SHARSHERET, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Morflora, focused on innovative non-transgenic trait delivery technology for plant protection and enhancement, announced today it has been selected as a Finalist for Red Herring's Top 100 Europe award, a prestigious list honoring the year’s most promising private technology ventures from the European business region.
The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of hundreds from across Europe. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.
Morflora, an innovator in the agricultural biotechnology industry, develops technology to help growers and seed companies worldwide promote sustainable agriculture and fight against common diseases and threats to crops via non-transgenic effective solutions. The company’s TraitUP™ platform is utilized to express or silence genes in seeds and plants, and acquired traits are expressed within days post treatment.
“We are honored to be included in this prestigious list of innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Dotan Peleg, Morflora’s CEO. “Our unique technology has the potential to bring about the next green revolution, increasing the yield and immunity of crops, thus increasing global human food resources, feedstock and alternative energy sources."
The TraitUP™ technology was first discovered during research conducted at the research lab of acclaimed plant virologist Prof. Ilan Sela from the Hebrew University and jointly developed with Prof. Haim Rabinowitch, global seed expert and former Dean of the The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and Rector (provost) of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Scientists discovered highly efficient vectors for silencing and expression of genes, and these vectors, commercially referred to as TraitUP™, were scientifically named IL-60 and 1470 plasmids. Morflora and Yissum Research Development Company, the technology transfer arm of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, co-own the TraitUP™ patents, and Morflora holds an exclusive license to commercialize the technology.
"This year was very rewarding," said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. "The global economic situation has abated and there are many great companies producing really innovative and amazing products. We had a very difficult time narrowing the pool and selecting the finalists. Morflora shows great promise and therefore deserves to be among the Finalists. Now we’re faced with the difficult task of selecting the Top 100 winners of Red Herring Europe. We know that the 2012 crop will grow into some amazing companies that are sure to make an impact."
Finalists for the 2012 edition of the Red Herring 100 Europe award are selected based upon their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health.
Morflora’s CEO, Dotan Peleg, has been invited to present the company’s innovation and vision at the Red Herring Europe Forum in Amsterdam, April 23-25, 2012. The Top 100 winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony the evening of April 25 at the event.
About Morflora
Morflora develops generic and non-transgenic trait delivery solutions into plants, to protect them from a wide variety of diseases, as well as introduce new desired traits for plant enhancement. The company targets the seed and plant treatment markets, offering technology and solutions to increase global crop yield and reduce dependency on chemical treatments and lengthy breeding processes. Established in 2008, Morflora’s mission is to become a leading supplier of plant protection and enhancement solutions for a variety of agricultural markets. For additional information please log on to www.morflora.com.