GreenLight Biosciences expands RTP footprint for the next generation of agricultural products

BOSTON, Jan. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenLight Biosciences, a biotechnology company focused on RNA research, design, and manufacturing for human, animal, and plant health, today announced the expansion of its research and development operations in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina.

The new greenhouse, laboratory, and offices will add more than 60,000 square feet of space and enable the continuing growth of GreenLight's plant health pipeline, adding more jobs in the process. 

"This additional capacity is a critical step in helping us capitalize on our solutions for agriculture to realize a food-secure future," says Mark Singleton, head of plant health at RTP. "The investment will help to keep us at the cutting edge of innovation and continue first-of-a-kind progress like we are currently seeing in our fungal program."

"We expect to have 60 employees on site by the end of 2022, with our new spaces housing various entomology, fungal, and herbicide projects as well as the functions that support them."

"GreenLight embodies the type of company we envisioned for our Alexandria Center® for AgTech campus, a fully integrated, amenity-rich R&D and greenhouse campus," said Blake Stevens, vice president of Science & Technology, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and Alexandria Venture Investments. 

"With the transformative potential of GreenLight's RNA platform, we have both invested in and provided the company with mission-critical real estate, and we are thrilled to support their rapid growth and efforts to meaningfully improve human health and nutrition in the second phase of our first-of-its-kind agtech campus."

Occupancy of the new greenhouse, where GreenLight will plant a variety of crops, will begin in the first quarter and increase growing capacity tenfold. Operations will support product research and development as the company works to bring innovative new tools to farmers to address pests and diseases, including botrytis and powdery mildew. 

In 2022, GreenLight expects regulatory approval of its RNA-based product for controlling the Colorado potato beetle and to submit its honeybee health solution to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

The company has seven agricultural products in development with an addressable market of $6 billion that it plans to launch by 2026. In October, GreenLight announced that effective control of fungal pathogens using double-stranded RNA had been achieved for the first time ever. 

About GreenLight

Founded in 2008, GreenLight aims to address some of the world's biggest problems by delivering on the full potential of RNA for human health and agriculture. In human health, this includes mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. In agriculture, this includes RNA  to protect honeybees and a range of crops. The company's breakthrough cell-free RNA manufacturing platform, which is protected by numerous patents, allows for cost-effective production of RNA. GreenLight's human health product candidates are in the pre-clinical stage, and its product candidates for the agriculture market are in the early stages of development or regulatory review. For more information, visit https://www.greenlightbiosciences.com/

In August 2021, GreenLight Biosciences announced plans to become publicly listed through a business combination with Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:ENVI).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, with respect to the proposed transaction between GreenLight Biosciences, Inc. ("GreenLight") and Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. ("ENVI"). These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result" and similar expressions. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of ENVI's securities and the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on GreenLight's business relationships, operating results, and business generally. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and ENVI and GreenLight assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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SOURCE GreenLight Biosciences, Inc.