Plastomics, Inc. enhances its research and development capabilities with key new hire

St. Louis, June 28, 2021 – Plastomics, Inc., the biotechnology company developing a transformative platform for transgenic trait introduction via the chloroplast, announces the hire of distinguished industry veteran, Dr. Charles (Chuck) L. Armstrong, to the position of Vice President, Research and Development (R&D). Dr. Armstrong will join Dr. Jeffrey Staub, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Plastomics founder, in leading the overall R&D pipeline.

Dr. Armstrong joins Plastomics after an illustrious 33-year career at Monsanto Company and Bayer Crop Sciences. Among Chuck’s many career highlights are the publication of several early seminal works on corn transformation, the development of multiple transformation competent lines of maize still used routinely in both academia and industry, as well as being part of the team that generated the first fertile transgenic corn plants in 1990. Chuck has been honored as the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the Queeny Award for his role in the development of RoundUp Ready® 2 and Yieldgard® Corn products, the Monsanto Science and Technology Career Award and the James B. Eads Award from the St. Louis Academy of Science. Chuck has been a Senior Science Fellow since 2002 and Associate Editor of In Vitro -Plant since 1992.

Dr. Staub commented, “I had the good fortune to work alongside Chuck for many years at Monsanto and more recently to benefit from his counsel as a member of the Plastomics Scientific Advisory Board.  I’m thrilled to join forces with Chuck again to shepherd corn chloroplast transformation to a commercial reality.”  Dr. Robert Fraley, Monsanto CTO over much of Chuck’s career noted, “Chuck brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the development of valuable new technologies to enhance corn productivity. He is a fantastic addition to the Plastomics team.”

“With the advancement of Plastomics’ soybean chloroplast pipeline to proof-of-concept for potential commercial product concepts, and the corn chloroplast transformation pipeline following closely behind, it has been important for us to add technical and strategic strength to augment the already strong core team”, stated Dr. Martha Schlicher, Plastomics CEO.

Plastomics continues to advance its transformative platforms for both soybeans and corn from laboratory to greenhouse testing.  The chloroplast transformation trait introduction system has been demonstrated at greenhouse scale through two generations in soybean and the corn platform is advancing using multiple proprietary approaches. Chloroplast transformation provides many benefits not possible with traits introduced via the nucleus at a time when the industry is desperate for new solutions, including technology to overcome broad spread insect resistance to current commercial traits.  These benefits include the introduction of traits with new modes of action and traits that have the potential to enhance yield – further reducing the environmental footprint of crop production.

About Plastomics Inc.
Plastomics Inc. is a novel early-stage biotechnology company developing a new and better way of introducing biotech traits into row crops like corn and soybeans.  The St. Louis based company, resides in the 39 North innovation district with laboratories and corporate offices at Helix Incubator and greenhouse operations at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.  Learn more at www.Plastomics.com