Cellectis Hosts World’s First Gene Edited Dinner in NYC

October 31, 2016 – New York (N.Y.) – Cellectis (Alternext: ALCLS; Nasdaq: CLLS), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing immunotherapies based on gene edited CAR T-cells (UCART), today announced that the Company, along with its agricultural biotech subsidiary, Calyxt, hosted the world’s first dinner made with gene edited foods.

The dinner held on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 in New York required a six-month preparation time entrusted to The Lab-Ducasse Conseil’s chefs and experts with a series of trials where the ingredients were cooked and tasted in a variety of ways. Attendees included university professors, doctors, reporters, celebrities, entrepreneurs and key opinion leaders.

The six-course dinner was comprised of a variety of foods that incorporated a selection of Calyxt’s recently harvested gene edited high-oleic soybeans and potatoes. The dinner featured Tofu and soy burgers, Hummus soy, gilt-headbream, lemon, Oven-baked potato pie or Soy with marinated fish and caviar, among other dishes. Calyxt uses its innovative TALEN® technology to create foods with healthier characteristics by making precise deletions in a crop’s DNA, without adding any foreign DNA.

“This dinner – truly a meal of the 21st century – marks a groundbreaking milestone for both Cellectis and Calyxt,” said Dr. André Choulika, Cellectis CEO and Calyxt president. “It not only represents a historic moment for the food, agriculture and biotech industries but also for people all over the world who are in search of an answer to address some of the biggest health issues in today’s society. This meal is a clear indicator of how gene editing will ultimately transform what we put on our plates in the near future. This was the first harvest dinner, and millions of people will be able to experience these same foods in the near future.”

“Gene editing holds an immense potential to improve lives and nutrition while minimizing our environmental footprint through the foods that we produce and eat,” added Federico Tripodi, Calyxt CEO. “We believe that Calyxt’s high-quality food ingredients will meet the challenges that are related to sustainable growth and climate change, while simultaneously addressing societal issues like obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol / blood pressure. The possibilities are endless; every day, consumers are increasingly mindful of the foods that they eat, and our products will be developed to help families meet those needs. This dinner was the first step to achieving this reality and positively impacting consumers’ lives in the months and years to come.”

Photos from the meal and the full menu are available upon request.