Evogene (NASDAQ: EVGN, TASE: EVGN) is a

computational biology Computational biology refers to the use of techniques in computer science, data analysis, mathematical modeling and Computer simulation, computational simulations to understand biological systems and relationships. An intersection of computer sci ...

company based in Israel, specializing in predictive biology platforms that leverage

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

(AI) and

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of study in artificial intelligence concerned with the development and study of Computational statistics, statistical algorithms that can learn from data and generalise to unseen data, and thus perform Task ( ...

for life-science product development. Evogene's platforms focus on designing novel microbes,

small molecule In molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm. Many drugs are small molecules; ...

s, and genetic elements for use in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and related industries. In 2024, the company began collaborating with

Google Cloud Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google that provides a series of modular cloud services including computing, data storage, data analytics, and machine learning, alongside a set of management tools ...

to develop an AI-powered generative model aimed at discovering small molecules for drug development and sustainable agriculture.

Technology and partnerships

Evogene has developed computational biology platforms leveraging

big data Big data primarily refers to data sets that are too large or complex to be dealt with by traditional data processing, data-processing application software, software. Data with many entries (rows) offer greater statistical power, while data with ...

and artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning algorithms. Evogene uses these platforms to design and develop life-science products based on three core components: microbes, small molecules, and genetic elements. In June 2007, ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

'' reported that Evogene announced a collaboration with SunGene of Germany to develop plant biotechnology-engineering techniques. The project was supported by the Israel-Germany BioDisc program, the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology, and Germany’s

Federal Ministry of Education and Research The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (; abbreviated BMFTR) is a cabinet-level ministry of Germany. It is headquartered in Bonn, with an office in Berlin. The Ministry provides funding for research projects and institutions (aim ...

. The collaboration aimed to develop methods for improving gene implantation in crops. In September 2008, Evogene formed a joint venture with the Leviev Group and Ormat Group to develop and commercialize castor plants for

biodiesel Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. The roots of bi ...

production in Namibia. In June 2009, Evogene signed a licensing agreement with

Syngenta Syngenta Global AG is a global agricultural technology company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. It primarily covers crop protection and seeds for farmers. Syngenta is part of the Syngenta Group, entirely owned by Sinochem, a Chinese state ...

to develop soybean strains resistant to

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

pests. The agreement included research funding, milestone payments, and potential royalties, and was part of Evogene’s ongoing collaborations with firms such as Monsanto and

Bayer Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...

. In March 2015, ''

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012 and has since become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist Dav ...

'' reported that Evogene was using

genomic Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of molecular biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, ...

technologies, including its PointHit platform, to analyze molecules in weeds and identify plant

macromolecule A macromolecule is a "molecule of high relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass." Polymers are physi ...

s for

herbicide Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page f ...

development. The article also noted that

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed ...

was a major investor in the company. In July 2018, Evogene partnered with Brazil’s Instituto Mato-grossense do Algodão (IMAmt) to identify genes for insect-resistant cotton targeting the

boll weevil The boll weevil (''Anthonomus grandis'') is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae. The boll weevil feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central Mexico, it migrated into the United States from Mexico in the late 19 ...

and

fall armyworm The fall armyworm (''Spodoptera frugiperda'') is a species in the order Lepidoptera and one of the species of the fall armyworm moths distinguished by their larval life stage. The term "armyworm" can refer to several species, often describing the ...

. In June 2020, ''

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...

'' reported that Evogene was among the companies selected to participate in a NIS 36 million consortium funded by the

Israel Innovation Authority The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) is the support and investment arm of the Israeli Government, Israeli government, in charge of planning and executing the country’s innovation policy, promoting technological innovation and Science and techn ...

to develop genome editing tools using

CRISPR CRISPR (; acronym of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a family of DNA sequences found in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea. Each sequence within an individual prokaryotic CRISPR is d ...

and artificial intelligence. Evogene states that its computational platform is designed to improve the efficiency of life-science product development by leveraging big data and AI. The company reports that its approach aims to reduce development time and cost while identifying potential products with lower toxicity. Its reported partners include BASF (OTCQX:BASFY), Bayer (OTCPK:BAYZF), Corteva (CTVA), ICL Group Ltd. (ICL) as well as academic and medical institutions.

Subsidiaries

In October 2014, Evogene’s subsidiary Evofuel signed an agreement with the

Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa - ) is a state-owned research corporation affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. Since its inception on April 26, 1973, it has been devoted to developing technologies, knowl ...

(Embrapa) to develop castor cultivation technologies for

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from Biomass (energy), biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricu ...

production. In August 2022, ''The Jerusalem Post'' reported that Evogene’s subsidiary Biomica began a Phase I clinical trial for its microbiome-based drug candidate BMC128 at

Rambam Health Care Campus Rambam Health Care Campus () commonly called Rambam Hospital, is a teaching hospital in the Bat Galim neighborhood of Haifa, Israel. Rambam Health Care Campus is a part of Tertiary Referral Center for Northern Israel, It was founded in 1938. It ...

. The drug, developed using Evogene’s MicroBoost AI platform, is designed to improve cancer patients’ response to

immunotherapy Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...

. In December 2022, Biomica secured a $20 million funding agreement led by Shanghai Healthcare Capital to advance its microbiome-based therapeutics. In June 2023, Casterra, a subsidiary of Evogene, signed a $9.1 million agreement with an international oil and gas company to supply castor seeds for biofuel production in Africa. According to ''The Times of Israel'', the seeds were developed using genomic methods based on Evogene’s computational platform to increase oil yield.

References

{{Authority control Companies listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Biotechnology companies of Israel Rehovot Israeli companies established in 2002