- Accomplished international R&D executive, previously Syngenta, specialising in biotech trait development and genome editing technologies
- Follows £3M seed round in 20261 to expand capabilities of the Company’s core MOSS platform and establish trait enhancement programmes in major crop species
Manchester, UK, 29 September 2026: Cytotrait, a biotechnology company harnessing a unique organelle editing approach to develop new crop traits for food and agriculture, today announced the appointment of Dr Ian Jepson as a Non-Executive Director of the Company. With more than 36 years’ experience in global leadership and commercial growth, Dr Jepson will support the Company’s ongoing strategy to develop its proprietary Mutant Organelle Selection System (MOSS) platform, initiate new trait development programmes in major global crop species and establish industry partnerships to commercialise the Company’s products.
Dr Jepson is a highly regarded global R&D leader specialising in the development of genome editing technologies for the AgTech sector. During a 35-year career with Syngenta and legacy companies, Dr Jepson held leadership roles across sites and business units, notably as Global Technology Leader for Seeds Research, and Research Triangle Park (RTP) Site Business Head. In these roles, Dr Jepson oversaw multiple global programmes covering genome editing, trait discovery, genotyping and crop breeding technologies, as well as leading the Company’s Innovation RTP site of more than 500 employees. He also played a leadership role in establishing Syngenta’s genome editing technology and a portfolio of trait projects, in addition to driving several high-value strategic industry partnerships.
Dr Jepson is an accomplished entrepreneur and academic who has authored 28 peer-reviewed papers and is responsible for 23 granted patents. He currently sits on the advisory boards for the NCSU Plant Science Initiative and NCSU Genome Editing Centre and is a member of the North Carolina AgTech Council. Dr Jepson holds a PhD in Genetics from the University of Birmingham.
Dr Tim Brears, Executive Chair, Cytotrait, said: “I’m extremely pleased to welcome Dr Jepson to the Cytotrait board. His experience in driving innovative R&D programmes and track record of commercial success within the AgTech sector will be invaluable to the Company as we continue to execute the goals of our seed funding round and work to establish MOSS as the gold standard organelle editing technology for crop improvement.”
“Organelle editing represents an exciting opportunity to improve crop species used every day around the world, yet the technology is vastly underrepresented when we look at today’s trait development landscape,” commented Dr Ian Jepson, Non-Executive Director, Cytotrait. He continued: “Cytotrait’s MOSS platform is a powerful solution that enables us to introduce stable and high-level expression of crucial genes controlling traits such as yield and resilience. I look forward to working closely with the Cytotrait team to further expand the capabilities of the technology, and explore new opportunities to apply MOSS to the challenges of global food security and sustainable agriculture.”
- Press Release (9th March, 2026): Cytotrait secures £3M seed funding to address global food security and sustainable agriculture
