Further Enhances 22nd Century Group’s Deep Expertise in Plant-Based Biotechnology
BUFFALO, N.Y., April 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), a leading agricultural biotechnology company focused on tobacco harm reduction, reduced nicotine tobacco, and improving health and wellness through modern plant science, announced the appointment of Dr. Calvin Treat as Chief Scientific Officer, effective May 23, 2022. In this new role, Dr. Treat will lead the expanding scientific, research and technological operations of the company, leveraging its expertise, IP, and partnerships across all three of its alkaloid plant franchises toward becoming a global leader in specialty plant science.
“Dr. Treat brings a wealth of plant-based biotechnology and crop technology experience to 22nd Century at a pivotal time when we are rapidly expanding our global capabilities across all three of our alkaloid plant franchises – tobacco, hemp/cannabis, and hops,” said James A. Mish, chief executive officer of 22nd Century Group. “Dr. Treat has spent his career at the largest plant science names in the world, leading their innovations on major crops like corn, soybeans, and cotton. We look forward to his leadership as we continue to leverage our extensive technology platform comprising hundreds of patents, extensive know-how and global partnerships supporting our leadership in plant genetics, breeding and cultivation underpinning our growth opportunities across a growing $1.3 trillion worldwide market opportunity.”
“22nd Century is rapidly establishing itself as the global alkaloid plant technology leader, bringing to bear an extensive upstream capability to optimize plant lines and enhance critical commercial traits that directly benefit quality, cost, and consumer confidence in the end products. The Company is leveraging the most advanced plant science techniques and building a global IP and capability set that may be unrivaled in their respective crops,” said Dr. Treat. “I am excited to join 22nd Century at this pivotal moment to lead the company onto the global stage as more and more of the world’s leading alkaloid plant growers come to recognize the incredible value of 22nd Century’s portfolio.”
Dr. Treat previously served as senior vice president and head of crop technology for corn, soybean, and cotton at Bayer, where he oversaw more than $2 billion in R&D spending dedicated to seeds, traits, and crop protection while also driving tailored solutions to meet grower needs. Previously, he was the technology lead for Monsanto’s global corn and soy crops, where he merged the soy and corn technology teams to garner synergies across the platforms. While part of the Monsanto teams, he was involved in the launches of multiple technologies including Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans, Intacta® RR2 Pro soybeans in South America, and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybean technology across North America, one of Monsanto’s largest and most complex trait launches. His additional roles at Monsanto included global corn technology lead, global oilseeds technology lead and global soybean breeding lead, among others.
Dr. Treat has a doctorate in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an executive MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, a Master of Science in Agronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
About 22nd Century Group, Inc.
22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII) is a leading agricultural biotechnology company focused on tobacco harm reduction, reduced nicotine tobacco and improving health and wellness through plant science. With dozens of patents allowing it to control nicotine biosynthesis in the tobacco plant, the Company has developed proprietary reduced nicotine content (RNC) tobacco plants and cigarettes, which have become the cornerstone of the FDA’s Comprehensive Plan to address the widespread death and disease caused by smoking. The Company received the first and only FDA MRTP authorization of a combustible cigarette in December 2021. In tobacco, hemp/cannabis, and hop plants, 22nd Century uses modern plant breeding technologies, including genetic engineering, gene-editing, and molecular breeding to deliver solutions for the life science and consumer products industries by creating new, proprietary plants with optimized alkaloid and flavonoid profiles as well as improved yields and valuable agronomic traits.
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 11, 2021. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Investor Relations & Media Contact:
Mei Kuo
22nd Century Group, Inc.
Director, Communications & Investor Relations
T: 716-300-1221
mkuo@xxiicentury.com
Darrow Associates Investor Relations
Matt Kreps
T: 214-597-8200
mkreps@darrowir.com
