LAV321demonstrated strong results in its third consecutive year of field trials in Europe

REHOVOT, Israel, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Lavie Bio Ltd., a leading ag-biologicals company and subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), today announced significant progress in the development of its LAV321 bio-fungicide, targeting downy mildew. Over three years of field trials across Europe, evaluating the efficacy of LAV321 in protecting crops from fungal diseases, LAV321 demonstrated an impressive average efficacy rate of 70% against downy mildew in grapes. These results lead to the decision to advance it to the last stage of product development toward commercialization.

Downy mildew is a damaging foliar disease of grapes, leading to yield losses of up to 75% in key growing areas[1]. The global fungicide market, valued at over $24.5 billion in 2024, is projected to grow to $33.27 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9%[2]. As public interest in environmentally friendly farming practices rises and concerns about fungal resistance to chemical solutions increase, ag-biologicals like LAV321 are emerging as preferred solutions to address these challenges and promote sustainable agriculture.

In addition to the field trials targeting downy mildew, during 2024 Lavie Bio also conducted trials evaluating LAV321 for the control of late blight in tomato. The trials demonstrated an average efficacy rate exceeding 60%, equivalent to commonly used copper products, which LAV321 is intended to substitute. Late blight is a key disease in management of tomato and potato crops, creating an estimated $6.7 billion in global damages annually[3].

LAV321 was discovered and optimized through Lavie Bio’s Biology Driven Design (BDD) platform, powered by Evogene’s MicroBoost AI tech-engine. It is designed to integrate seamlessly into farmers’ existing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, enhancing productivity and sustainability while helping to prevent the development of resistance to conventional fungicides.

Amit Noam, Lavie Bio’s CEO, expressed his satisfaction with the announced advancement: “We are very pleased with LAV321’s performance over the last three years of our field trials, as well as in numerous trials conducted by several of our multinational partners. Our target of reaching 70% efficacy against downy mildew this year was successfully achieved, providing validation to our effective solution for key fruit and vegetable diseases, while fitting easily into current IPM practices. I am proud to announce that LAV321 has completed its development and is now entering the pre-commercial stage, with regulatory processes set to begin.”

About Lavie Bio Ltd.

Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd., aims to improve food quality, sustainability, and agriculture productivity through the introduction of microbiome-based ag-biological products. Lavie Bio utilizes a proprietary computational predictive platform, the BDD platform, powered by Evogene’s proprietary MicroBoost AI tech-engine, harnessing the power of big data, artificial intelligence, and advanced informatics, for the discovery, optimization and development of bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide products.
For more information, please visit www.lavie-bio.com.

About Evogene Ltd.

Evogene (Nasdaq: EVGN, TASE: EVGN) is a computational biology company aiming to revolutionize the development of life-science based products by utilizing cutting edge technologies to increase the probability of success while reducing development time and cost. Evogene established three unique tech-engines – MicroBoost AI, ChemPass AI and GeneRator AI – leveraging Big Data and Artificial Intelligence and incorporating deep multidisciplinary understanding in life sciences. Each tech-engine is focused on the discovery and development of products based on one of the following core components: microbes (MicroBoost AI), small molecules (ChemPass AI), and genetic elements (GeneRator AI).

Evogene uses its tech-engines to develop products through subsidiaries and strategic partnerships. Evogene’s subsidiaries currently utilize the tech-engines to develop human microbiome-based therapeutics by Biomica, ag-biologicals by Lavie Bio, ag-chemicals by AgPlenus, medical cannabis products by Canonic and castor varieties, for the biofuel and other industries, by Casterra. 

For more information, please visit: www.evogene.com. 

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” relating to future events. These statements may be identified by words such as “may”, “could”, “expects”, “hopes” “intends”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “believes”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “demonstrates” or words of similar meaning. For example, Evogene and its subsidiaries are using forward-looking statements in this press release when they discuss public interest in environmentally friendly solutions and the adoption of ag-biologicals like LAV321 as preferred solutions, the integration of farmers of LAV321 and successful achievement of regulatory approvals. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance or achievements of Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the current war between Israel and Hamas and any worsening of the situation in Israel such as further mobilizations or escalation in the northern border of Israel and those risk factors contained in Evogene’s reports filed with the applicable securities authority. In addition, Evogene and its subsidiaries rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities, such as their field-trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions.

Contact:
ir@evogene.com
Tel: +972-8-9311901

[1] Plasmopara viticola the Causal Agent of Downy Mildew of Grapevine: From Its Taxonomy to Disease Management, Kseniia Koledenkova et al. Frontiers in Microbiology, May 2022
[2] EINPresswire: Fungicides Market Growth Analysis With Investment Opportunities For 2024-2033
[3] https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2021/wild-potatoes-tapped-for-late-blight-guard-duty/

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SOURCE Lavie Bio

CQG will Support Access to Products Available on the New MIAX Futures Exchange Onyx Trading Platform

DENVER and CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CQG, a leading global provider of high-performance technology solutions for market makers, traders, brokers, commercial hedgers and exchanges, today announced that it will offer day-one access to MIAX Futures Exchange (MIAX Futures™) – including new Bloomberg equity index futures contracts when listed – in connection with the planned launch of the exchange’s new Onyx matching engine in June 2025. CQG made the announcement during FIA’s Futures & Options Expo, the industry’s most widely attended conference taking place this week in Chicago. The move will ensure that when Onyx goes live on MIAX Futures, CQG clients will be able to access MIAX Futures products on day one through CQG’s front-end offerings and API connections as part of CQG’s network of exchanges.

Last month, Miami International Holdings, Inc. (MIH) announced the renaming of Minneapolis Grain Exchange, LLC (MGEX), a wholly owned subsidiary of MIH, to MIAX Futures Exchange as part of MIH’s strategy to broaden the range of futures and options products listed on the exchange, including agricultural and financial futures. The announcement came the month after MIH announced it had entered into a licensing agreement with Bloomberg Index Services Limited to develop a suite of index futures, options on futures and cash options products based on a portfolio of benchmarks.

CQG CEO Ryan Moroney said: “We’ve been delighted to work closely with MIH on the development of its new trading engine and to be among the first to enable clients to trade on the MIAX Futures Onyx platform. Our clients are already trading the Minneapolis Hard Red Spring Wheat contract on MIAX Futures and are excited to have additional financial futures products to trade in conjunction with other products on our network, utilizing the full range of CQG tools at their fingertips. We look forward to supporting the exchange to ensure that our clients have seamless access to MIAX Futures products as it transitions to the new engine.”

Thomas P. Gallagher, Chairman and CEO of MIH, said: “We are pleased to have CQG providing connectivity to the MIAX Futures Onyx platform as part of its expected launch in Q2 2025. CQG’s sophisticated trading infrastructure will provide its network of professional traders with direct access to our current and planned derivatives products and aligns with our strategy of expanding access to MIAX Futures through industry-leading trading platforms.”

About CQG

CQG provides the industry’s highest performing solutions for traders, brokers, commercial hedgers and exchanges for their market-related activities globally, including trading, market data, advanced technical analysis, risk management, and account administration. The firm partners with the vast majority of futures brokerage and clearing firms and provides Direct Market Access (DMA) to more than 45 exchanges through its global network of co-located Hosted Exchange Gateways. CQG technology serves as the front end for a variety of exchanges and is increasingly employed as the over-the-counter matching engine for important new markets. CQG’s server-side order management tools for spreading, market aggregation, and smart orders are unsurpassed for speed and ease of use. Its market data feed consolidates 85 sources, including exchanges worldwide for futures, options, fixed income, foreign exchange, and equities, as well as data on debt securities, industry reports, and financial indices. One of the longest-serving technology solutions providers in the industry, CQG has won numerous awards for its trading software, technical analysis and multi-asset trading platform. CQG is headquartered in Denver, with sales and support offices and data centers in key markets globally, providing services in more than 60 countries. For more information, visit www.cqg.com.

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SOURCE CQG

Altair® HyperWorks® platform empowers Cleveland Golf to break free from traditional design limits

TROY, Mich., Nov. 19, 2024 /CNW/ — Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR), a global leader in computational intelligence, announced its latest collaboration with Cleveland Golf, a leading golf equipment manufacturer, on the design of the new HiBore XL Driver. With Altair’s advanced simulation and design technology, Cleveland Golf is raising the bar for golf equipment and redefining the limits of driver design.

“Altair’s technology and expertise is helping Cleveland Golf shape the future of golf – one swing at a time,” said Sam Mahalingam, chief technology officer, Altair. “Technologies like simulation, artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and digital twin are opening a new world of possibilities for sports equipment manufacturers. Altair is excited to see how leading manufacturers like Cleveland Golf can use these tools to transform the way professionals and nonprofessionals alike play their favorite sports.”

Cleveland Golf utilized an array of products within the Altair® HyperWorks® platform to craft the HiBore XL, allowing the team to perform concept evaluation, rapid design exploration, physics-based simulation and optimization, and design for manufacturing. The flexibility of the Altair HyperWorks platform allowed Cleveland Golf to explore a multitude of feasible designs—an exploration that would have been impossible with physical testing alone.

“With the HiBore XL, we sought to equip players with a driver unbound by the traditional limits of shaping, delivering exciting new performance accomplishments. Altair empowered us with the technology to do just that,” said Jacob Lambeth, research engineering supervisor at Cleveland Golf. “We pride ourselves on being at the cutting edge, and today, that means embracing the market’s premier simulation and design software. Collaborating with Altair helps us innovate in brand-new ways and maintain our reputation for pushing the limits of club design.”

With the HiBore XL, Cleveland Golf’s objective was to break free from traditional geometry to achieve new combinations of performance, while still meeting United States Golf Association (USGA) club requirements. Altair HyperWorks provided the team with the advanced design and simulation tools needed to rapidly iterate and unlock new levels of performance. In addition, the two organizations co-created a custom ribbing optimization process that helped Cleveland Golf find rib configurations that increased the HiBore XL’s stiffness while saving weight. The process helped the Cleveland Golf team enhance the club’s sound and improve its center of gravity and moment of inertia (MOI).

The HiBore XL is a testament to the effectiveness of Altair’s best-in-class technology and the strength of the collaboration with the Cleveland Golf engineering team. By combining Cleveland Golf’s vision and know-how with Altair’s technology, expertise, and value-driven approach, the two built more than a driver – they built an innovative approach for success.

To learn more about Cleveland Golf’s new HiBore XL driver, visit clevelandgolf.com. To learn more about the Altair HyperWorks platform, visit https://altair.com/altair-hyperworks.

About Altair

Altair is a global leader in computational intelligence that provides software and cloud solutions in simulation, high-performance computing (HPC), data analytics, and AI. Altair enables organizations across all industries to compete more effectively and drive smarter decisions in an increasingly connected world – all while creating a greener, more sustainable future. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

About Dunlop Sports Americas

Based in Huntington Beach, CA and Greenville, SC, Dunlop Sports Americas (DSA) is the North American subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. We manufacture and sell premium golf and racket sports equipment to players of all skill levels under a portfolio of brands: Dunlop, Srixon, Cleveland Golf, and XXIO. DSA is also a licensed exclusive distributor of ASICS golf footwear. Our unique global sales network and infrastructure in R&D, manufacturing, and material science elevates our brands onto a global stage where we encourage players from around the world to experience our incredible products. For more information, please contact Noelle Zavaleta at noellezavaleta@clevelandgolf.com.

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SOURCE Altair