Solis Agrosciences acquires genomics platform to provide genotyping and bioinformatics services to agriculture companies

Date:11-21-2024

Solis Agrosciences, the trusted partner for high-quality AgTech research services, announced the purchase of Ferris Genomics’ sequencing and bioinformatics platform, enabling Solis to offer agriculture customers end-to-end genomics services. The Ferris platform includes whole-genome sequencing, skim sequencing, imputation, and customized development of genomics-driven breeding programs. Founded by genomics experts, Ferris has provided high-quality data across a variety of plant and animal research and breeding programs in row crops, specialty crops, and livestock.

"Ferris Genomics is an attractive asset that offers marketplace and operational synergy, allowing Solis to deliver more comprehensive solutions and to reach new customers,″ said Charlie Bolten, co-founder and CEO of Solis Agrosciences. "We anticipate that the acquisition of this platform and its experienced team will immediately contribute to Solis’ bottom line."

To ensure the seamless transition of customer projects, key Ferris employees joined the growing Solis Agrosciences team and Solis began operating the Ferris laboratories in the Helix Center, located within the same building as Solis’ current research operations.

"Whole-genome skim sequencing and hybrid-capture approaches with imputation have reached a price point where the technology can be broadly deployed in agriculture to drive phenotypic gain while maintaining genetic diversity in breeding programs," said Susan Martino-Catt, PhD, COO of Solis Agrosciences. "Companies using sequence-based genotyping and imputation in their breeding programs may identify targets to leverage our plant transformation and genome-editing platforms to create new traits and drive enhanced phenotypes.″

Solis was launched in 2022 to fill a need for specialized agricultural research. The company has demonstrated significant traction, employing a growing team of industry-experienced scientists, launching product offerings in plant transformation and gene editing, and securing a license to the Pairwise Fulcrum™ Platform.

″Hermann is excited by the progress that Solis has made in the marketplace, securing a broad customer base from venture-backed startups to the largest multi-national agriculture companies,″ said Robert Hermann, Jr., chairman and CEO of Hermann Companies. ″We look forward to future growth and additional opportunities to add capability that builds shareholder value.″

Solis’ major investors are Hermann Companies, Jim McKelvey’s Saloniki Investments, BioGenerator Ventures, and QRM Capital. Additional investors include St. Louis Arch Angels, Missouri Technology Corporation, Helix Fund, CIG Spectrum, Hypha Life Sciences, and various angel investors.

Solis will continue to identify and put in place solutions for unmet customer needs to support critical agricultural innovations by adding new capabilities, building world-class infrastructure, and acquiring synergistic assets.