Oxitec Insect Control for public health and agriculture

Oxitec insect control technology Combat insectborne diseases Improve crop yields © 2014 Oxitec Limited through the reduction of pest insect populations biological approach that is safe, sustainable, economic and applicable to many insect species worldwide Page 2

Why engineer insects for pest control ? New control solutions needed for public health and agriculture • consumer demand for more food on less land • demand for residue reduction • changing pest pressures • fewer available pesticides • pesticide resistance © 2014 Oxitec Limited Page 3

Oxitec introduces two genes Injecting genes into insect egg Self Limiting Gene • • Repressed with an antidote during male insect production Passed on to progeny fathered by Oxitec males Prevents offspring from developing into reproductive adults Without continued release disappears from the gene pool and environment © 2014 Oxitec Limited Self Limiting Gene Fluorescent Marker Gene • • Fluorescent Protein detected by special light Allows track and trace for Oxitec insects Allows estimation of pest population sizes Allows effective monitoring of pest population suppression Page 4

Our approach Oxitec technology disrupts the reproductive cycle of pest insects © 2014 Oxitec

Oxitec self limiting technology Oxitec technology is species specific • • No effects on beneficial insects like bees Compatible with Crop Protection technology 2 nd Generation Male selection • • Genetic sorting to give males Effects only female offspring which fail to reach maturity © 2014 Oxitec Limited 1 st Generation population control • • Physical sorting males Effects male and female offspring, which fail to reach adulthood 3 nd Generation early population Control • • Genetic sorting to give males Effects both males and female Page 6

Safety Oxitec technology is species specific Cannot establish in the environment Males do not bite/ oviposit in crop No adverse effects on predators/parasitoids tested Non-toxic proteins No allergenic homologies/epitopes Genetically stable © 2014 Oxitec Limited Page 7

Monitoring built in Released males seek females Genetic marker allows “track and trace in

Integration with other treatments Pest population § § Insecticide treatment as an initial knock-down On-going breeding site removal and or larvicides Sustained, preventative genetic control Spot treatments with insecticides Untreated Insecticides Oxitec solution Threshold Time © 2014 Oxitec Limited Insecticides Threshold Oxitec solution Time Page 9

Oxitec portfolio Public Health Agriculture Target Crop Vector of Medfly Citrus/pome/ stone fruit Olive fly Olive Aedes albopictus Chikungunya & dengue Brassica Anopheles stephensi Malaria Diamondback moth Pink bollworm Silkworm © 2014 Oxitec Limited Target Cotton Silk Aedes aegypti Dengue In development Target Crops Drosophila suzukii Soft fruit Red flour beetle Stored products Page 10

96% 92% 94% © 2014 Oxitec Limited Every A. aegypti field trial showed greater

Benefits Oxitec’s mating-based pest control approach provides: • Efficacy! • Male-only releases • Biological targeting • Species-specific pest control • Not toxic or allergenic • Heritable visible marker • Self-limiting in the environment © 2014 Oxitec Limited Page 12

The challenge: © 2014 Oxitec Limited Page 13

GM crops: GM insects GM crops Oxitec insects Genetic change to food product Genetic change to pest only Can persist in the environment Self-limiting Genes may pass to non-GM plants Genes do not pass to other species Complex monitoring Simple monitoring © 2014 Oxitec Limited Page 14

Regulatory approach • Disruptive innovation – Often no clear regulatory pathway – Currently using a mix of GM legislation (EU, Brazil) and product legislation (USA). – GM legislation (safety) followed by product legislation (label) – May hinder progress and use • Proportionate pragmatic regulation needed – Risk/ benefit analysis key to decision making – Ideally a “ product “ registration including safety – Biological control may be a precedent ? © 2014 Oxitec Limited Page 15

Regulatory progress Across all Oxitec GM insects – all applications successful “ Environmentally preferable” USDA EIS Oxitec Aedes aegypti received approval for commercial releases in Brazil April 2014 Import and contained trials approved • • • Austria France Greece Guatemala Israel • • © 2014 Oxitec Limited Singapore Thailand Vietnam UK Current applications for outdoor release • • • India Spain Caribbean KSA Morocco Outdoor release approved • • • Brazil Cayman Malaysia Mexico USA Panama Page 16