ROSEVILLE, MINNESOTA, US — Calyxt, Inc., a plant-based technology platform company, announced on Sept. 28 that it has entered into a research collaboration with an undisclosed global food ingredient manufacturer based in Asia to develop an improved soybean capable of producing an oil as a commercial alternative to palm oil. According to Calyxt, the new soybean would offer health benefits as well as sustainability advantages.

As part of the research collaboration, Calyxt said it will receive cash payments in each of the two years of its term. The collaboration agreement also includes a commercial option for the global food ingredient manufacturer, Calyxt said.

“Our research collaboration with this leading global food ingredient manufacturer is an important validation of our technology platform and marks Calyxt’s evolution to a partner-driven innovation model,” said Michael A. Carr, president and chief executive officer of Calyxt. “This collaboration addresses our partner’s sustainability need and leverages our company’s strong foundational research and unique understanding of plant metabolism built over the course of a decade. This is an example of our work that is squarely focused at the intersection of the innovation of natural resources and the sustainability of our planet and has the potential to positively address challenges associated with palm oil by bringing forward an important new alternative. We look forward to a productive relationship with our new collaborator.”

Calyxt said it plans to use its proprietary technology platform to deliver the new innovation. This technology platform, based on a deep understanding of plant genomes and pathways to engineer plant metabolism, accelerates development and delivers a target faster than traditional plant-based development, the company said.