Is This $13 Billion Food Security Crisis Intrexon's Next Big Opportunity?
A few years ago, engineered biology conglomerate Intrexon (NYSE: XON) acquired a pioneering company called Oxitec. While there are plenty of whacky technology platforms in next-generation biotech, the start-up's technical niche still caught many people off guard: genetically engineered insects incapable of passing their genes on to the next generation.
The sudden spread of Zika virus caused the "self-limiting" insect technology to gain widespread attention among investors and the general public. That's because it can be applied to disease-carrying mosquito species, which can be grown and released to control local mosquito populations. So, the genetically engineered mosquito is the (bio)pesticide and one that only affects that particular species. It's a big idea.
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Source: Fool.com
