NEWS ROOM

Apr 2026 — On April 12, 2026, Israel granted Patent No. 276039 covering AFINGEN® Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) technology, a plant-engineering approach designed to increase plant growth and improve yield-related traits. It joins other patents associated with the AFINGEN® APFL portfolio.Source: ↗ Israeli patent record

May 2025 — Australian Patent No. 2019213034, titled “Compositions and Methods for Increasing Plant Growth and Improving Multiple Yield-Related Traits,” was granted on May 8, 2025. The Australian patent is part of the international AFINGEN® Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) patent family.Source: ↗ Australian patent document

On January 21, 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 12,203,084, the second issued U.S. patent in the AFINGEN® Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) patent family.Source: ↗ U.S. patent record

Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received U.S. trademark registration for CLIMATE BIO®, its agricultural biotechnology brand focused on climate-related applications in agriculture. Learn more at Climate Bio.

South African Patent No. 2020/04150 was granted on December 20, 2023. It is part of the AFINGEN® Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) patent family, which concerns methods designed to increase plant growth and improve yield-related traits.Source: ↗ South African patent record

Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received U.S. trademark registration for ASTALAKE BIOSYSTEMS®, supporting the company’s biotechnology research, development, and related services identity. Learn more at Astalake Bio.

In April 2023, Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received a $181,500 USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I award to advance alfalfa biotechnology by optimizing lignin biosynthesis. The project explored genetic engineering approaches to improve forage digestibility, nutritional quality, and yield-related traits. This research advanced the development of AFINGEN®...

On March 28, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 11,613,760 to AFINGEN, Inc. (AFINGEN®). The patent describes methods designed to increase plant growth and improve yield-related traits. It belongs to the AFINGEN® Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) patent family originating from PCT/US2019/015688.Source: ↗ U.S....

In January 2022, AFINGEN® took part in Seed Central’s sixth Innovators Showcase, held online. The company also hosted an online visit as part of the event program.Seed Central’s Sixth Innovators Showcase, January 2022 — online event announcement featuring AFINGEN®.Source: ↗ Seed Central showcase archive

In January 2021, AFINGEN® presented its agricultural biotechnology platform at Seed Central’s fifth Innovators Showcase, held online. The company also took part in an online visit linked to the program.Seed Central’s 2021 Innovators Showcase at UC Davis — event announcement featuring AFINGEN® and the January 2021 online company visits.Source: ↗...

AFINGEN® became a registered U.S. trademark on September 1, 2020 (Registration No. 6,142,048). The registration covers research and development services relating to plant genetics, along with other specified plant-genetics services.Source: ↗ tmsearch.uspto.gov

In July 2020, Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received a $100,000 USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I award to advance wheat biotechnology through research into lignin bioregulation. The project explored genetic engineering approaches designed to support faster crop growth, improved yield-related traits, and agricultural productivity. This work contributed to the...

In September 2019, Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received a $106,500 USDA SBIR Phase I award to advance corn biotechnology through innovative regulation of lignin biosynthesis.The project explored genetic engineering approaches designed to improve forage digestibility and nutritional quality while supporting crop yield and biomass performance. This...

On August 1, 2019, international patent application WO2019148193A1 was published. It describes plants engineered to express selected genes more strongly in xylem, the tissue that carries water, with the aim of improving growth and yield.Source: ↗ patents.google.com

In January 2018, AFINGEN® took part in Seed Central’s Technology Showcase at UC Davis. It presented its plant biotechnology platform alongside other agriculture and life-science startups.Source: ↗ seedcentral.org · ↗ seedcentral.org

TechAccel’s 2017 agricultural biotechnology market map, published by AgFunderNews, profiled 245 startups and reported approximately $3.4 billion in cumulative sector funding.

Jun 2017 — AFINGEN, Inc. received a $124,956 NASA STTR Phase I award for “Fast Growing High-Yield Wheat and Canola for Efficient Nutrient Recycling Systems.”The project, conducted with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, focused on generating improved wheat and canola rotation crops with accelerated root growth, increased grain and vegetative...

Ai Oikawa presented AFINGEN’s technology and R&D outcomes at TechConnect World 2017, held May 15–17 at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

May 2017 — AFINGEN, Inc. CEO/CSO Ai Oikawa participated as an invited presenter at the UC Davis Alfalfa & Forages Field Day at the UC Davis Agronomy Field Headquarters. The afternoon field program included switchgrass plantings for biofuels.Source: ↗ alfalfa.ucdavis.edu

Ai Oikawa presented AFINGEN at the 2017 Ag Innovation Showcase at UC Davis, joining a group of selected agricultural technology startups and research projects.

AFINGEN highlighted its ongoing collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU), where engineered crop biomass was evaluated in scale-up and processing work supported through DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office activities.

Carolyn Fritz, M.B.A., and Kenneth Davenport, Ph.D., joined the AFINGEN® management team, bringing biotechnology commercialization and agricultural product-development experience.

Aug 2016 — AFINGEN, Inc. received a $99,429 USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I award for “Fast-growing high-yield forage crops via a novel biotechnology platform.”The project extended the AFINGEN® Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) biotechnology approach to alfalfa and sorghum, with research objectives related to faster growth, increased biomass, and improved...

Ai Oikawa presented AFINGEN at Seed Central’s special session featuring cutting-edge technologies at UC Davis.

Oct 2015 — AFINGEN, Inc. was featured in Chemical & Engineering (C&EN) News in the article “Seeking Better Biofuels,” which examined research and commercialization emerging from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).The article highlighted AFINGEN, Inc.’s work on engineered switchgrass with reduced lignin and...

Berkeley Lab highlighted AFINGEN in its announcement that the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute had joined the “100/500 Club,” noting AFINGEN’s licensing and use of JBEI’s APFL technology.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $222,694 in SBIR Phase I funding to Astalake Biosystems, Inc. for “Engineering robust yeasts for biorefinery applications.” The project investigated AFINGEN® Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) technology, an engineered positive-feedback approach to amplifying selected gene activity, to explore increased...

Berkeley Lab introduced AFINGEN as a startup launched to apply precision plant biotechnology developed through JBEI, including the APFL platform.

Berkeley Lab announced that Henrik Scheller and Dominique Loqué received a 2014 R&D 100 Award for tissue-specific cell-wall engineering, the research platform that included the APFL approach later used by AFINGEN.

Feb 2014 — AFINGEN, Inc. received DOE SBIR Fast-Track funding for “Generation of switchgrass plants with optimized biomass composition for biofuel production.”The award totaled about $1.72 million: roughly $225,000 for Phase I and $1.5 million for Phase II. The project researched engineering switchgrass biomass for biofuel production.Source: ↗...