NEWS ROOM

AFINGEN® APFL Technology Receives Israeli Patent No. 276039

Apr 2026 — Israeli Patent No. 276039 was granted on April 12, 2026, as part of AFINGEN®’s international APFL patent family. The patent relates to compositions and methods for increasing plant growth and improving multiple yield-related traits.Source: ↗ Israeli patent record

AFINGEN® APFL Technology Receives Australian Patent No. 2019213034

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 AFINGEN®’s international APFL patent family.Source: ↗ Australian patent document

CLIMATE BIO® Receives U.S. Trademark Registration

Jan 2024 — 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.

AFINGEN® APFL Technology Receives South African Patent No. 2020/04150

Dec 2023 — South African Patent No. 2020/04150 was granted on December 20, 2023, as part of AFINGEN®’s international APFL patent family concerning compositions and methods for increasing plant growth and improving multiple yield-related traits.Source: ↗ South African patent record

USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I Award Supports AFINGEN® Alfalfa Biotechnology Research

Apr 2023 — Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received a $181,500 USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I award for “Generation of alfalfa plants with optimized lignin biosynthesis for improved forage quality and yield.” This research contributed to the development and expansion of the AFINGEN® plant biotechnology platform.The project focused on fine-tuning lignin...

AFINGEN® APFL Technology Receives U.S. Patent No. 11,613,760

Mar 2023 — On March 28, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 11,613,760, titled “Compositions and Methods for Increasing Plant Growth and Improving Multiple Yield-Related Traits,” to AFINGEN, Inc. The patent is part of the APFL patent family originating from PCT/US2019/015688.Source: ↗ U.S. patent...

AFINGEN® Founder Ai Oikawa Joins Seed Central “Her Startup” Panel

Apr 2021 — AFINGEN® Founder and CEO/CSO Ai Oikawa participated in Seed Central’s “Her Startup” event, focused on women entrepreneurs who launched companies across agriculture, biotechnology, food, and health. The panel included founders and technology leaders from several other companies in these sectors.Seed Central 2021 — “Her Startup” panel...

AFINGEN® CEO Ai Oikawa Joins SynBioBeta 2020 Panel on Designing Next-Generation Crops

Sep 2020 — AFINGEN® CEO/CSO Ai Oikawa participated in SynBioBeta 2020 in the panel “10 Billion – Designing crops for the next generation: In conversation with Leaps by Bayer’s Derek Norman.”The session brought together Oikawa with industry panelists and a moderator from a technology publication to discuss technologies and approaches relevant to...

AFINGEN® Trademark Registered in the United States

Sep 2020 — AFINGEN was registered on the U.S. Principal Register on September 1, 2020, under U.S. Trademark Registration No. 6,142,048.The registered mark supports AFINGEN® branding for the applicable registered services.Source: ↗ tmsearch.uspto.gov

USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I Award Supports AFINGEN® Wheat Biotechnology Research

Jul 2020 — Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received a $100,000 USDA-NIFA SBIR Phase I award for “Generation of fast-growing high-yield wheat plants by optimizing lignin bioregulation.” This research contributed to the development and expansion of the AFINGEN® plant biotechnology platform.The project supported research on lignin bioregulation and...

USDA SBIR Phase I Award Supports AFINGEN® Corn Forage Biotechnology Research

Sep 2019 — Astalake Biosystems, Inc. received a $106,500 USDA SBIR Phase I award for “Genetic optimization of corn lignin biosynthesis for synergistic improvements in forage quality, yield and preservation.” This research contributed to the development and expansion of the AFINGEN® plant biotechnology platform.The project focused on...

AFINGEN® APFL Patent Application Published by WIPO as WO2019148193A1

Aug 2019 — The international APFL patent application WO2019148193A1 was published on August 1, 2019. The published application describes genetic constructs and transgenic plants using vascular xylem tissue-targeted overexpression of transcription factors involved in xylem cell development, together with methods directed to enhancing plant growth...