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WOBURN, Mass., Aug. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN) ("Yield10" or the "Company"), an agricultural bioscience company, today reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022.
“We are making solid progress operationalizing our commercial plan to launch Camelina as a platform crop to supply low-carbon feedstock oil for the biofuel market and to produce omega-3 nutritional oil and PHA bioplastic longer term,” said Oliver Peoples, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “Our market development efforts focused on the biofuel feedstock opportunity have positioned us to contract more than 1,000 acres of winter Camelina with growers in the U.S. and Canada. We expect planting to be completed by early October 2022 and harvest of Camelina grain for processing into oil and protein meal is anticipated in second quarter 2023. In addition, our ongoing and planned winter and contra-season Camelina seed production activities are ramping up with the goal of enabling the expansion of grower contracts in 2023 for oil production and off-take to the biofuel market. In the second half of 2022, we will continue our market development efforts building relationships with contract growers and biofuel supply chain participants.”
“We have a significant effort underway to deploy novel performance traits as well as established herbicide tolerance and pest resistance traits into our Elite Camelina germplasm. Our spring 2022 field test program includes evaluating herbicide tolerance in more than 30 candidate Camelina lines. In these ongoing field tests, these plants have displayed excellent herbicide tolerance throughout the growing season. Following harvest, we will be evaluating a range of agronomic parameters as well as seed yield obtained in these lines. Based on positive preliminary results, we are planning contra-season seed scale up to accelerate the pace of development and commercialization of the best herbicide tolerant Camelina lines. We believe herbicide tolerant Camelina will be very attractive to growers and enable planting of the crop on large acreage.”
“As 2022 progresses, we continue to focus on market development and seed production activities to enable a significant ramp-up in contracted acres in 2023 and beyond. We will also continue to generate proof points supporting the agronomics and seed yield of our Elite Camelina varieties. We are currently completing the evaluation of seed yield data obtained across several geographies in our recent winter planting. Further, we expect to harvest our 2022 spring field test planting and in the months ahead conduct an evaluation of seed yield and oil content as well as herbicide tolerance and pest resistance to inform future trials and the selection of new Camelina lines for development,” said Peoples.
Recent Accomplishments
Geopolitical Uncertainty and COVID-19 Impact on Operations
The Company has implemented business continuity plans to address the COVID-19 pandemic and minimize disruptions to ongoing operations. In addition, the conflict in Ukraine has resulted in significant uncertainty in the agriculture and commodities markets, and may have a significant impact on the Company’s business and operations. To date, despite the pandemic, Yield10 has been able to move forward with the operational steps required to execute its 2022 spring field trials in Canada and the United States. However, it is possible that any potential future closures of research facilities, should they continue for an extended time, or delays in receiving supplies and materials needed to conduct field trials and research, or economic repercussions of the pandemic or other geopolitical uncertainty, such as the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, could adversely impact the Company's anticipated time frames for evaluating and/or reporting data from our field trials and other work we plan to accomplish during 2022 and beyond.
Cash Position
Yield10 Bioscience is managed with an emphasis on cash flow and deploys its financial resources in a disciplined manner to achieve its key strategic objectives.
Yield10 ended the second quarter of 2022 with $10.2 million in unrestricted cash and investments; a net decrease of $2.5 million from unrestricted cash and investments of $12.7 million reported as of March 31, 2022. Net cash used by operating activities during the second quarter of 2022 was $2.5 million compared to $2.1 million used in the second quarter of 2021. The Company continues to estimate total net cash usage for the full year ended December 31, 2022 in a range of $12.0 - $12.5 million as it continues its controlled growth to develop proprietary Camelina plant varieties and to support the commercial launch of its Camelina grain products.
Yield10's present capital resources are expected to fund its planned operations into the first quarter of 2023. The Company's ability to continue operations after its current cash resources are exhausted is dependent upon its ability to obtain additional financing, including public or private equity financing, secured or unsecured debt financing, receipt of additional government research grants, as well as licensing or other collaborative arrangements.
Operating Results
Grant revenue for the second quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2021 were $0.1 million and $0.2 million, respectively. Research and development expenses increased by $0.4 million from $1.7 million during the second quarter of 2021 to $2.0 million in the second quarter of 2022. General and administrative expenses were $1.5 million and $1.6 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021, respectively, reflecting a decrease of $0.1 million.
Yield10 reported a net loss of $3.4 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, or $0.70 per share, as compared to a net loss of $3.1 million, or $0.64 per share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. The greater net loss is primarily due to the decrease in grant revenue and the Company's increased operating expenses resulting primarily from the addition of new staff and costs related to pre-commercial seed production.
For the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company reported a net loss of $6.8 million, or $1.38 per share, compared to a net loss of $5.7 million, or $1.23 per share, during the six months ended June 30, 2021. Year to date grant revenue earned through June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021 were $0.3 million and $0.4 million, respectively. Research and development expenses were $3.8 million and $3.0 million during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021, respectively. During those same periods, general and administrative expenses were $3.2 million and $3.0 million.
Yield10 Bioscience management will host a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. (ET) to discuss the second quarter 2022 results. The Company also will provide a corporate update and answer questions from the investor community. A live webcast of the call with slides can be accessed through the Company's website at www.yield10bio.com in the investor relations events section. To participate in the call, dial toll-free 877-709-8150 or 201-689-8354 (international).
To listen to a telephonic replay of the conference call, dial toll-free 877-660-6853 or 201-612-7415 (international) and enter pass code 13730466. The replay will be available until August 24, 2022. In addition, the webcast will be archived on the Company's website in the investor relations events section.
About Yield10 Bioscience
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is an agricultural bioscience company that is using its differentiated trait gene discovery platform, the “Trait Factory”, to develop improved Camelina varieties for the production of proprietary seed products, and to discover high value genetic traits for the agriculture and food industries. Our goals are to efficiently establish a high value seed products business based on developing superior varieties of Camelina for the production of feedstock oils for renewable diesel, PHA bioplastics and omega-3 (DHA+EPA) oils, and to license our yield traits to major seed companies for commercialization in major row crops, including corn, soybean and canola. Yield10 is headquartered in Woburn, MA and has an Oilseeds Center of Excellence in Saskatoon, Canada.
For more information about the company, please visit www.yield10bio.com, or follow the Company on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. (YTEN-E)
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical statements, including, without limitation, expectations regarding Yield10’s cash position, cash forecasts and runway, expectations related to research and development activities, intellectual property, the expected regulatory path for traits, reproducibility of data from field tests, the timing of completion of additional greenhouse and field test studies, the outcomes of 2021-2022 winter field tests, 2022 spring field tests, and seed scale-up activities, the signing of research licenses and collaborations, including whether the objectives of those collaborations will be met, whether the Company will be able to generate proof points for traits in development and advance business discussions around its Camelina business plan, the potential impact on operations of the COVID-19 pandemic, the geopolitical uncertainty caused by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and value creation as well as the overall progress of Yield10 Bioscience, Inc., constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including the risks and uncertainties detailed in Yield10 Bioscience’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Yield10 Bioscience assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.
Contacts:
Yield10 Bioscience:
Lynne H. Brum, (617) 682-4693, LBrum@yield10bio.com
Investor Relations:
Bret Shapiro, (561) 479-8566, brets@coreir.com
Managing Director, CORE IR
Media Inquiries:
Eric Fischgrund, eric@fischtankpr.com
FischTank PR
