US Patent Issued for Autoflower Genetic Identification and Related Breeding Methods

[BII]

Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (Canada) as described in its press release (at https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.c...search-unveiling-key-insights-for-cultivation) has received a U.S. patent including claims for methods for identifying and selecting for the autoflowering trait, which should greatly facilitate breeding and generic engineering of autoflowers. In simplistic terms, they claim to have identified specific gene/DNA sequences related to autoflowering. Hype includes claiming "recent work on auto-flowering will be a game-changer for cannabis and hemp production" and "will support future breeding strategies and can be leveraged to revolutionize outdoor cannabis cultivation in high-latitude regions, such as Canada." Overall with its technologies the company claims "novel cultivars identified from this world-class breeding program consistently yield 40%-100% more flower than legacy varieties." See the patent full text at https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/ec/34/58/3c165ca922a33e/US12002546.pdf

Patent claims (at bottom; what is actually patented, with the rest of the text supporting the claims) include genetic sequences and methods for identifying alleles (DNA coding sequences) related to the "day length neutral phenotype" (autoflowering). Knowledge of autoflowering gene location and sequences can also be useful for plant genetic modifications/engineering.

Hopefully, from this inexpensive gene probes or other individual grower-friendly test kits will eventually be marketed. In the meantime, when will seeds with the claimed yield improvements start to be commercially available?

Note, the patent covers "methods" and does not cover the breeding or growing of plants using seeds containing gene sequences derived or developed using this technology. Nothing new- - seeds and plants themselves are generally non-patentable with it simply normal for breeders to use seeds/genetics developed by others. Lack of patents is likely the major reason why cannabis seeds/strains is such a fragmented and overall still a relatively low-tech line of business.

 

[Son of Hobbes]

https://ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-p...kLTQwOTctODA5MS05ZDVlMmRiZTIxOGEiLCJleHAiOjB9

Link doesn't work.

 

[BII]

Link doesn't work.

Link to patent full text has been fixed. See https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/ec/34/58/3c165ca922a33e/US12002546.pdf

 

[Purple2thepeople]

This is quite interesting, but I doubt Aurora will have many applications that will benefit the end consumer alot unfortunately. Hopefully I am wrong.

I did a bit more searching it seems like they do mention a specific gene UPF2.

It also mentions basically the standard procedure of breeding autoflowers and taking crosses of auto×photo and breeding them to auto through a few generations of selections.

I would be curious to find more info on the patent, but I haven't yet found the full document.

I find it interesting that they claim the progeny from the program are resulting in %40-100 yield increases, I wonder if that is in specific parameters, like growing outdoors up in Canada, or if the increase is being found in multiple conditions.
It seems like this could be a combination of hybrid vigor, and more useful hours of light in northern grow areas, that would absolutely count for huge yield increases.

I know when I grow photos outdoors (in Canada) I have a hard time getting good results often without doing extra work, vs when I grow autos outdoors and they can finish before the weather turns in early September

I'd be curious to see the data they used to get the patent, it seems interesting. I hope that Aurora isn't trying to create control over autoflowering genetics or at least a method to control them in Canada, and eventually elsewhere. Or even just creating a model by which others will also go by.

Interesting stuff, what are your thoughts on the potential applications?

 

[BII]

The link above to the patent is a PDF of its full text. For more information, consider searching the US patent office, Google's or other full-text patent database for other patents/applications assigned to the company. Also consider looking over the company's SEC 10K or equivalent Canadian annual report-type documents.

Regarding "they claim the progeny from the program are resulting in %40-100 yield increases," they are referring to their "world-class breeding program," their whole R&D efforts, not this patented technology.

The patent is presumably exemplary of the state-of-the-art about 3 years ago when it was originally filed. It just covers some genetic markers, specific DNA sequences, and their use to identify seeds/cells with these DNA sequences. It doesn't cover seeds or breeding methods. What is significant is this is apparently a major part of their internal (and any licensees'/partners') cannabis breeding programs (whatever their targets may be) and they claim significant real-world relevant progress.

Might AFN play a role in representing (lobbying for) the interests of individual auto growers and breeders having access to such new technologies? For example, the company's 'field testing' or market research with new high productivity strains could include AFN members growing their seeds and providing expert feedback concerning recreational and medicinal uses.

 

[Purple2thepeople]

The link above to the patent is a PDF of its full text. For more information, consider searching the US patent office, Google's or other full-text patent database for other patents/applications assigned to the company. Also consider looking over the company's SEC 10K or equivalent Canadian annual report-type documents.

Regarding "they claim the progeny from the program are resulting in %40-100 yield increases," they are referring to their "world-class breeding program," their whole R&D efforts, not this patented technology.

The patent is presumably exemplary of the state-of-the-art about 3 years ago when it was originally filed. It just covers some genetic markers, specific DNA sequences, and their use to identify seeds/cells with these DNA sequences. It doesn't cover seeds or breeding methods. What is significant is this is apparently a major part of their internal (and any licensees'/partners') cannabis breeding programs (whatever their targets may be) and they claim significant real-world relevant progress.

Might AFN play a role in representing (lobbying for) the interests of individual auto growers and breeders having access to such new technologies? For example, the company's 'field testing' or market research with new high productivity strains could include AFN members growing their seeds and providing expert feedback concerning recreational and medicinal uses.

I did search the patent and found the text, but it doesn't detail all the information they cite.

It's unlikely to have any framework of community testing under the current legal framework in Canada, the controls for everything are very tight. People can't just take the product home to test it if they are growing in the legal market, they would need to package it and then purchase it at the store to try it, as one example of how tightly controlled everything is.

Most people don't even risk the chance of doing something their licence won't allow because the application and infrastructure required represent a significant investment, it's not just a few grand for most producers to get started, the smallest licences are 3-4k just to apply, and then the infrastructure required is significant.

My point is just that anything Aurora is doing is highly unlikely to help out a home grower or any small-medium producers, these are big fish who grow some of the largest cannabis grows in the world.

Any state of the art genetic tools are going to be very costly to implement, and in the stated patent it is to identify the autoflowering gene, which isn't something that is overly difficult for a average skilled breeder to do already.
Make crosses and inbreed and then select from populations of autoflowering progeny, it's not a complicated process, and I don't see much benefit to identifying the recessive gene in existing photoperiod strains personally, but I could be thinking of this from the wrong perspective.

It would be cool to be involved in the process, but I don't think Aurora is going to release valuable IP to home growers to test their stuff for them, they have the facilities and square footage to do it all in house.

 

[Purple2thepeople]

I've been personally somewhat close to Aurora, having met the founder and seen alot of what's happened fairly close up, even before it was sold it was starting to do some shady things, and even more so afterwards. My point is really just that Aurora is a huge corporation that is only focused on profits for shareholders like any other big publicly traded corporation, so I wouldn't expect them to be having our interest at heart, cheers man