# Meiogenix

> Meiogenix is a French-American agricultural biotech company that re-engineers one of nature's oldest tricks - meiotic recombination, the gene-shuffling that happens when plants make seeds. Instead of editing single genes like CRISPR, its proprietary SpiX and dCas9-SPO11 platforms steer where chromosomes cross over, unlocking 'cold' regions of the genome that conventional breeding can never reach. The result: breeders can mix desirable traits, break unwanted linkage, and shrink crop development cycles from 10-plus years to as few as three, all without introducing foreign DNA. Founded in 2010 as a spin-off from Institut Curie and INRA, the company targets the $50B+ commercial seed market across corn, wheat, rice, tomato and soybean, and licenses its technology to partners including Bayer.

- **Founded:** 2010
- **Headquarters:** Paris, France (with operations in Durham, North Carolina, USA)
- **Founders:** Alain Nicolas (Co-Founder & Scientific Founder (Institut Curie scientist)), Giacomo Bastianelli (Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~21 employees
- **Products:** SpiX, dCas9-SPO11-1 targeted recombination, Crop Innovation, Technology Licensing
- **Notable:** Achieved a reported 10x increase in targeted meiotic recombination in corn (announced 2026)., Published peer-reviewed validation of targeted recombination in rice using dCas9-SPO11-1., Validated its recombination platform across three crops: corn, tomato and rice.

## Products & services

- **SpiX** — Core platform that redirects the natural, conserved process of meiotic recombination to induce crossovers in chromosome regions normally suppressed, expanding the usable genetic diversity of plant germplasm.
- **dCas9-SPO11-1 targeted recombination** — A guided system fusing a deactivated Cas9 to SPO11-1 (the enzyme that initiates meiotic recombination) to stimulate crossovers at specific genomic locations without editing individual genes. Validated in rice, tomato and corn.
- **Crop Innovation** — Trait development services for specialty crops (tomato, fruits, vegetables) and field crops (corn, rice, wheat, soybean), including trait introgression, linkage-drag elimination, complex trait stacking, and access to cold-zone recombination.
- **Technology Licensing** — Non-exclusive licensing of Meiogenix recombination technology and know-how to seed and breeding companies, monetized through access fees, milestones and royalties.

## Achievements

- Achieved a reported 10x increase in targeted meiotic recombination in corn (announced 2026).
- Published peer-reviewed validation of targeted recombination in rice using dCas9-SPO11-1.
- Validated its recombination platform across three crops: corn, tomato and rice.
- Secured a multi-year licensing relationship with Bayer Crop Science (2016, expanded 2020).
- Raised a $13M Series A led by Sofinnova Partners (2021) to fund U.S. expansion.
- Spun proprietary meiosis research out of Institut Curie / INRA into a commercial platform.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Announced a 10x increase in targeted recombination in corn, developed with Cornell University and the University of Hamburg.
- **2024-06** — Named Ricardo Garcia de Alba (15 years at Corteva Agriscience) as new CEO, succeeding Luc Mathis.
- **2022-03** — Joined Cornell University's Center for Life Science Ventures to support U.S. growth.
- **2021-12** — Closed $13M Series A led by Sofinnova Partners to fund U.S. expansion and product development.

## Links

- Website: https://meiogenix.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/meiogenix
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meiogenix
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGgkvfmvWUY

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/meiogenix
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-13