Stokes Bio was established in 2005 by Mark Davies and Tara Dalton, with financing from Kernel Capital, as a spin-off company from the Stokes Institute at University of Limerick. In addition to Kernel Capital, the University of Limerick and Enterprise Ireland also are shareholders in the company.

"The new technology has applications in areas ranging from plant genetics through the entire spectrum of human healthcare," said Mark Davies, co-founder of Stokes Bio. "These new instruments will allow identification of plants with the best gene pool at a much earlier stage. It is necessary to look beyond the technology to appreciate what a step forward this could be in terms of food production."

The agreement is an excellent validation of Stoke Bio's core platform, said Daniel O'Mahony, a partner in Kernel Capital.

"We believe Stokes Bio's technology will revolutionize gene expression profiling in the future," O'Mahony said.

SOURCE Monsanto Company