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TABLE OF CONTENTS Prospectus Supplement
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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration Statement No. 333-217051

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT (To Prospectus dated April 12, 2017)

570,784 Shares
Common Stock

Yield10 Bioscience, Inc.

        We are offering 570,784 shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Common Stock"). In a concurrent private placement, we are also selling, to the purchasers of shares of our Common Stock in this offering, warrants to purchase 570,784 shares of our Common Stock (the "Series A-1 Warrants"). The Series A-1 Warrants and the shares of our Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants are not being registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "Securities Act"), are not being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and are being offered pursuant to the exemption provided in Section 4(a)(2) under the Securities Act and Rule 506(b) promulgated thereunder.

        Our Common Stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "YTEN." The last reported sale price of our Common Stock on July 3, 2017 was $4.29 per share.

        You should read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

        See "Risk Factors" on page S-10 of this prospectus supplement to read about factors you should consider before buying shares of our Common Stock.

        Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

        As of July 3, 2017, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $9,957,800.00, based on 2,879,550 shares of outstanding common stock, of which 1,572,814 shares were held by non-affiliates, and a per share price of $6.3312 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market on May 30, 2017. We have sold no shares of our common stock pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3 during the prior 12 calendar month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus supplement.

        We have retained Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. to act as our exclusive placement agent in connection with this offering. The placement agent has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to place the securities offered by this prospectus supplement. We have agreed to pay the placement agent the fee set forth in the table below.

        Jack W. Schuler, an existing stockholder, and entities affiliated with him have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 285,392 shares of our Common Stock in this offering. The placement agent will receive a fee of 3% of the aggregate purchase price of the shares of our Common Stock sold to Mr. Schuler and entities affiliated with him in this offering.

(1)

In addition, we have agreed to reimburse the placement agent's actual out-of-pocket expenses up to $30,000. See "Plan of Distribution".

        We expect that delivery of the shares of our Common Stock being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be made to purchasers through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company on or about July 7, 2017.

LADENBURG THALMANN

   

The date of this prospectus supplement is July 3, 2017.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement

Prospectus

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

        This document consists of two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of the offering and other matters relating to us. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which provides more general information about the securities we may offer from time to time, some of which may not apply to this offering of Common Stock. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") using the SEC's shelf registration rules. You should read both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, together with the documents incorporated by reference and the additional information described under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information" in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before making an investment decision.

        To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus, on the other hand, the information contained in this prospectus supplement shall control. If any statement in this prospectus supplement conflicts with any statement in a document that has been incorporated herein by reference, then you should consider only the statement in the more recent document. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference is accurate only as of their respective dates.

        We have not, and the placement agent has not, authorized any person to provide you with any information or to make any representation other than as contained in this prospectus supplement or in the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein. We and the placement agent do not take any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any information that others may provide you. The information appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus supplement or the date of the document in which incorporated information appears unless otherwise noted in such documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

        The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the offering of the Common Stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. We are not, and the placement agent is not, making an offer of the Common Stock in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

        All share amounts in this prospectus supplement have been adjusted to reflect a 1-for-10 reverse stock split that was effected on May 30, 2017.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

        We file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings over the Internet at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facilities at 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of these documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.

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        Our Internet address is www.yield10bio.com. There we make available free of charge, on or through the investor relations section of our website, annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with the SEC. The information found on our website is not part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

        We are "incorporating by reference" specific documents that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents that are considered part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Information that we file subsequently with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below, and any documents that we file with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the date of this prospectus supplement until the termination of the offering of all of the securities registered pursuant to the registration statement of which the accompanying prospectus is a part (excluding any portions of such documents that have been "furnished" but not "filed" for purposes of the Exchange Act):

1.

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 filed on March 30, 2017.



2.

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, filed on May 12, 2017.



3.

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 3, 2017, January 5, 2017, January 6, 2017, January 11, 2017, January 26, 2017, March 2, 2017, May 26, 2017, June 13, 2017 and June 27, 2017.



4.

Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A for our Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed on April 12, 2017.



5.

The description of our Common Stock contained in our Form 8-A filed on November 6, 2006.

        You may request, and we will provide you with, a copy of these filings, at no cost, by calling us at (617) 583-1700 or by writing to us at the following address:

Yield10 Bioscience, Inc.
19 Presidential Way
Woburn, MA 01801
Attn: Lynne Brum

        Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or therein, in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and in any accompanying prospectus supplement, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified and superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

        Any statement made in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus concerning the contents of any contract, agreement or other document is only a summary of the actual contract, agreement or other document. If we have filed or incorporated by reference any contract, agreement or other document as an exhibit to the registration statement, you should read the exhibit for a more complete understanding of the document or matter involved. Each statement regarding a contract, agreement or other document is qualified by reference to the actual document.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, including statements regarding our efforts to develop and commercialize our products, anticipated yields and product performance, our short-term and long-term business strategies, market and industry expectations and future results of operations and financial position are forward-looking statements. In many cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "could", "intend", "target", "project", "contemplate", "believe", "estimate", "potential", "continue" or other similar words.

        We based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events or trends that we believe may affect our business and financial performance. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We have described in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference herein the material risks and uncertainties that we believe could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which we cannot predict or quantify, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as guarantees of future results, performance or achievements.

        The forward-looking statements in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein represent our views as of the date of the document in which the forward-looking statement appears. We undertake no obligation to update publicly, except to the extent required by law, any forward-looking statements for any reason to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.

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RISK FACTORS

        You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties set forth below, together with all of the other information set forth in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

We will be required to raise additional funds to finance our operations and remain a going concern; we may not be able to do so when necessary, and/or the terms of any financings may not be advantageous to us.

        As of March 31, 2017, we held unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $4,875,000. Our present capital resources may not be sufficient to fund our planned operations for a twelve month period, and therefore, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

        In 2016, we completed a strategic restructuring under which Yield10 Bioscience has become our core business, with a focus on developing disruptive technologies for step-change improvements in crop yield to enhance global food security.

        We will require additional capital resources to support the implementation of this new strategy and we may pursue one or more of a variety of financing options, including public or private equity financing, secured or unsecured debt financing, equity or debt bridge financing, as well as licensing or other collaborative arrangements. There can be no assurance that our financing efforts will be successful. If we are not able to secure such additional capital resources or otherwise fund our operations, we may be forced to explore strategic alternatives and/or wind down our operations and pursue options for liquidating our remaining assets, including intellectual property and equipment.

        We continue to face significant challenges and uncertainties. Our future revenues, expenses and cash usage will depend on the successful execution of our strategic plans related to Yield10 Bioscience. Adequate financing to implement our new strategy may not be available. Available capital resources may be consumed more rapidly than currently expected due to any or all of the following:

•

higher restructuring costs than anticipated;



•

lower than expected revenues from grants, licenses, and service fees related to our Yield10 Bioscience technologies;



•

changes we may make to the business that affect ongoing operating expenses;



•

further changes we may make to our business strategy;



•

changes in our research and development spending plans; and



•

other items affecting our forecasted level of expenditures and use of cash resources.

        If we issue equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, we may incur fees associated with such issuances, our existing stockholders may experience dilution from the issuance of new equity securities, we may incur ongoing interest expense and be required to grant a security interest in our assets in connection with any debt issuance, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. In addition, utilization of our net operating loss and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to significant annual limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 due to ownership changes resulting from equity financing transactions. If we raise additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.

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We have a history of net losses and our future profitability is uncertain.

        With the exception of 2012, when we recognized $38,885,000 of deferred revenue from a terminated joint venture, we have recorded losses since our inception. At March 31, 2017, our accumulated deficit was $335.4 million. Since 1992, we have been engaged primarily in research and development and early-stage commercial activities. Because our crop science technology is at an early stage of development, we cannot be certain that the Yield10 Bioscience business will generate sufficient revenue to become profitable. We expect to have significant losses and negative cash flow for at least the next several years, as we incur additional costs and expenses for the continued development of our technology, including the ongoing expenses of research, development, commercialization and administration. The amount we spend will impact our need for capital resources as well as our ability to become profitable and this will depend, in part, on the number of new technologies that we attempt to develop. We may not achieve any or all of these goals and, thus, we cannot provide assurances that we will ever be profitable or achieve significant revenues.

We have recently changed our corporate strategy to focus on the crop science industry, and our technologies in this area are at a very early stage of development. We may never commercialize a technology or product that will generate meaningful, or any, revenues.

        In July 2016, our Board of Directors approved a plan to implement a strategic restructuring under which Yield10 Bioscience has become our core business. As part of the restructuring, we discontinued our biopolymer operations, eliminated positions in our biopolymer operations and corporate organization, and sold certain of our biopolymer business assets. We currently anticipate that our annual net cash used in operations, including anticipated payments for restructuring costs, will be approximately $7,500,000 - $8,000,000, compared to approximately $25,000,000 prior to the restructuring.

        The remaining cash restructuring costs associated with our strategic repositioning have various payment due dates through May 2018 and are estimated at approximately $1,476,000 as of May 31, 2017. However, the reduction in cash used in operations resulting from the restructuring may be less than expected. If we are not successful in reducing our cash used in operations, we may require more financing than anticipated or we may be forced to wind down our remaining operations.

        The products and technologies we are currently developing as a result of our strategic repositioning are at a very early stage of development, and the process of developing them is lengthy and uncertain. In addition, our current management has limited experience in developing technologies for the crop science industry, and has never commercialized a product or technology in this industry. We may never reach a point at which our efforts result in products that allow us to achieve revenue from their license or sale.

Our recently implemented reverse stock split could adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock.

        On May 24, 2017, our stockholders approved an amendment to our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and authorized our Board of Directors, if in their judgment they deemed it necessary, to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of 1:2 to 1:10. We implemented this reverse stock split on May 30, 2017 with a ratio of 1:10. We cannot predict whether the reverse stock split will increase the market price for our common stock on a sustained basis. The history of similar stock split combinations for companies in like circumstances is varied, and we cannot predict whether:

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the reverse stock split will result in a sustained per share price that will attract brokers and investors who do not trade in lower priced stocks;

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the reverse stock split will result in a per share price that will increase our ability to attract and retain employees and other service providers; or



•

the market price per share will remain at a level in excess of the $1.00 minimum bid price as required by NASDAQ, or that we will otherwise meet the requirements of NASDAQ for continued inclusion for trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of The NASDAQ Capital Market.

        We cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with the standards that we are required to meet in order to maintain a listing of our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market. Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market, and NASDAQ provides various continued listing requirements that a company must meet in order for its stock to continue trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market. Among these requirements is the requirement that our stock trades at a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share. On June 30, 2016, we received a deficiency letter from The NASDAQ Stock Market which provided us a grace period of 180 calendar days, or until December 27, 2016, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement; we subsequently received an additional 180 days (until June 26, 2017) to regain compliance with the requirement. On May 24, 2017, our stockholders approved an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, authorizing a reverse stock split of our common stock. A one-for-ten ratio for the reverse stock split was subsequently approved by our board of directors, and the reverse stock split took effect on May 30, 2017. As a result of the reverse stock split, every ten shares of our common stock were automatically combined and converted into one issued and outstanding share of our common stock, with no change in the par value per share. All share amounts, per share amounts and share prices in this prospectus supplement have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split. As of June 12, 2017 we regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement.

        If we fail to continue to meet all applicable NASDAQ Capital Market requirements in the future and NASDAQ determines to delist our common stock, the delisting could substantially decrease trading in our common stock and adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock; adversely affect our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, if at all, for the continuation of our operations; and harm our business. Additionally, the market price of our common stock may decline further and stockholders may lose some or all of their investment.

A portion of our revenue to date has been generated from government grants; continued availability of government grant funding is uncertain and contingent on compliance with the requirements of the grant.

        Historically, a portion of our revenue has been generated from payments to us from government entities in the form of government grants whereby we are reimbursed for certain expenses incurred in connection with our research and development activities, subject to our compliance with the specific requirements of the applicable grant, including rigorous documentation requirements. To the extent that we do not comply with these requirements, our expenses incurred may not be reimbursed. Any of our existing grants or new grants that we may obtain in the future may be terminated or modified.

        Our ability to obtain grants or incentives from government entities in the future is subject to the availability of funds under applicable government programs and approval of our applications to participate in such programs. The application process for these grants and other incentives is highly competitive. We may not be successful in obtaining any additional grants, loans or other incentives. Recent political focus on reducing spending at the U.S. federal and state levels may continue to reduce the scope and amount of funds dedicated to crop science products, if such funds will continue to be available at all. To the extent that we are unsuccessful in being awarded any additional government grants in the future, we would lose a potential source of revenue.

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Our government grants may subject us to government audits, which could expose us to penalties.

        We may be subject to audits by government agencies as part of routine audits of our activities funded by our government grants. As part of an audit, these agencies may review our performance, cost structures and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards and the terms and conditions of the grant. If any of our costs are found to be allocated improperly, the costs may not be reimbursed and any costs already reimbursed for such contract may have to be refunded. Accordingly, an audit could result in a material adjustment to our results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, if an audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions.

Risks Relating to our Yield10 Bioscience Crop Science Program

Our crop science product development cycle is lengthy and uncertain and will depend heavily on future collaborative partners.

        The technology and processes used in our crop science program and the application of our technology to enhance photosynthetic efficiency of crops are at an early stage of development. Research and development in the seed, agricultural biotechnology, and larger agriculture industries is expensive and prolonged and entails considerable uncertainty. Completion of our development work will require a significant investment of both time and money, if it can be completed at all. We expect that collaborations with established agricultural industry companies will be required to successfully develop and commercialize our innovations. The industry is highly concentrated and dominated by a small number of large players, which could impact efforts to form such collaborations. We may not be successful in establishing or maintaining suitable partnerships, and may not be able to negotiate collaboration agreements having terms satisfactory to us or at all. In addition, industry collaborators have significant resources and development capabilities and may develop products and technologies that compete with or negatively impact the development and commercialization of our technologies.

Our crop science program may not be successful in developing commercial products.

        We and our potential future collaborators may spend many years and dedicate significant financial and other resources developing traits that will never be commercialized. Seeds containing the traits that we develop may never become commercialized for any of the following reasons:

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our traits may not be successfully validated in the target crops;



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our traits may not achieve our targeted yield improvements;



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we may not be able to secure sufficient funding to progress our traits through development and commercial validation;



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our traits may not have the desired effect sought by future collaborators for the relevant crops;



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development and validation of traits, particularly during field trials, may be adversely affected by environmental or other circumstances beyond our control;



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we may be unable to patent our traits in the necessary jurisdictions.

        If any of these things were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operations. Research and development in the crop science industry is expensive and prolonged, and entails considerable uncertainty. Because of the stringent product performance and safety criteria applied in development of crop science products, products currently under development may neither survive the development process nor ultimately receive the requisite regulatory approvals needed to market such products. Even when such approvals are obtained, there can be no assurance that a new product will be commercially successful. In addition, research undertaken by competitors may lead to the launch of competing or improved products, which may affect sales of any products that we are able to develop.

Even if we or our collaborators are successful in developing commercial products that incorporate our traits, such products may not achieve commercial success.

        Our strategy depends upon our or our collaborators' ability to incorporate our traits into a wide range of crops in significant markets and geographies. Even if we or our collaborators are able to develop commercial products that incorporate our traits, any such products may not achieve commercial success for one or more of the following reasons, among others:

•

products may fail to be effective in particular crops, geographies, or circumstances, limiting their commercialization potential;



•

our competitors may launch competing or more effective traits or products;



•

significant fluctuations in market prices for agricultural inputs and crops could have an adverse effect on the value of our traits;



•

farmers are generally cautious in their adoption of new products and technologies, with conservative initial purchases and proof of product required prior to widespread deployment, and accordingly, it may take several growing seasons for farmers to adopt our or our collaborators' products on a large scale; and



•

we may not be able to produce high-quality seeds in sufficient amounts to meet demand.

        Our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if any of the above were to occur.

Consumer and government resistance to genetically modified organisms may negatively affect the ability to commercialize crops containing our traits, as well as our public image.

        Food and feed made from genetically modified seeds are not accepted by many consumers and in certain countries production of certain genetically modified crops is effectively prohibited, including throughout the European Union, due to concerns over such products' effects on food safety and the environment. The high public profile of the biotechnology industry in food and feed production, and a lack of consumer acceptance of products to which we have devoted substantial resources, could have a negative impact on the commercial success of products that incorporate our traits and could materially and adversely affect our ability to obtain collaborations and to finance our crop science program. Further, we could incur substantial liability and/or legal expenses if there are claims that genetically-engineered crops damage the environment or contaminate other farm crops. This could distract our management and cause us to spend resources defending against such claims.

        Actions by consumer groups and others may disrupt research and development or production of genetically modified seeds. In addition, some government authorities have enacted, and others in the future might enact, regulations regarding genetically modified organisms, which may delay and limit or even prohibit the development and sale of such products.

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We may not be able to obtain or maintain the necessary regulatory approvals for our products, which could restrict our ability to sell those products in some markets.

        Seeds containing the traits that we develop must receive regulatory approval before they can be marketed, but we may not be able to obtain such approvals. Regulatory standards and procedures in the crop science industry are continuously changing, and responding to these changes and meeting existing and new requirements will be costly and burdensome. Even if we are able to obtain approvals for the seeds containing the traits that we develop, changing regulatory standards may affect our ability to maintain compliance with such regulatory standards.

If ongoing or future field trials conducted by us or our collaborators are unsuccessful, we may be unable to complete the regulatory process for, or commercialize, our products in development on a timely basis.

        The successful completion of multi-year, multi-site field trials is critical to the success of product development and marketing efforts for products containing our traits. If our ongoing or future field trials, or those of our collaborators, are unsuccessful or produce inconsistent results or unanticipated adverse effects on crops, or if we or our collaborators are unable to collect reliable data, regulatory review of products in development containing our traits could be delayed or commercialization of products in development containing our traits may not be possible. In addition, more than one growing season may be required to collect sufficient data to develop or market a product containing our traits, and it may be necessary to collect data from different geographies to prove performance for customer adoption. Even in cases where field trials are successful, we cannot be certain that additional field trials conducted on a greater number of acres, or in different crops or geographies, will be successful. Generally, our collaborators conduct these field trials or we pay third parties, such as farmers, consultants, contractors, and universities, to conduct field trials on our behalf. Poor trial execution or data collection, failure to follow required agronomic practices, regulatory requirements, or mishandling of products in development by our collaborators or these third parties could impair the success of these field trials.

        Many factors that may adversely affect the success of our field trials are beyond our control, including weather and climatic variations, such as drought or floods, severe heat or frost, hail, tornadoes and hurricanes, uncommon pests and diseases, or acts of protest or vandalism. For example, if there was prolonged or permanent disruption to the electricity, climate control, or water supply operating systems in our greenhouses or laboratories, the crops in which we or our collaborators are testing our traits and the samples we or our collaborators store in freezers, both of which are essential to our research and development activities including field tests, could be severely damaged or destroyed, adversely affecting these activities and thereby our business and results of operations. Unfavorable weather conditions including drought or excessive rain, or fluctuations in temperature, can also reduce both acreage planted and incidence, or timing of, certain crop diseases or pest infestations, each of which may halt or delay our field trials. Any field test failure we may experience may not be covered by insurance and, therefore, could result in increased cost for the field trials and development of our traits, which may negatively impact our business, results of operations, and ability to secure financing. Such factors outside of our control can create substantial volatility relating to our business and results of operations.

Competition in traits and seeds is intense and requires continuous technological development, and, if we are unable to compete effectively, our financial results will suffer.

        We face significant competition in the markets in which we operate. The markets for traits and agricultural biotechnology products are intensely competitive and rapidly changing. In most segments of the seed and agricultural biotechnology market, the number of products available to consumers is steadily increasing as new products are introduced. At the same time, the expiration of patents covering existing products reduces the barriers to entry for competitors. We may be unable to compete

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successfully against our current and future competitors, which may result in price reductions, reduced margins and the inability to achieve market acceptance for products containing our traits. In addition, most of our competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, sales, distribution, research and development, and technical resources than us, and some of our collaborators have more experience in research and development, regulatory matters, manufacturing, and marketing. We anticipate increased competition in the future as new companies enter the market and new technologies become available. Our technologies may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical by technological advances or entirely different approaches developed by one or more of our competitors, which will prevent or limit our ability to generate revenues from the commercialization of our traits being developed.

Our business is subject to various government regulations and if we or our collaborators are unable to timely complete the regulatory process for our products in development, our or our collaborators' ability to market our traits could be delayed, prevented or limited.

        Our business is generally subject to two types of regulations: regulations that apply to how we and our collaborators operate and regulations that apply to products containing our traits. We apply for and maintain the regulatory permits necessary for our operations, particularly those covering our field trials, which we or our collaborators apply for and maintain regulatory approvals necessary for the commercialization of products containing our seed traits. Even if we and our collaborators make timely and appropriate applications for regulatory permits for our field trials, government delays in issuing such permits can significantly affect the development timelines for our traits, particularly if the planting period for a crop growing season expires before the necessary permits are obtained. In most of our key target markets, regulatory approvals must be received prior to the importation of genetically modified products. These regulatory processes are complex. For example, the U.S. federal government's regulation of biotechnology includes, but is not limited to, the USDA, which regulates the import, field testing, and interstate movement of genetically modified plants, and the FDA, which regulates foods derived from new plant varieties.

        In addition to regulation by the U.S. government, products containing our traits may be subject to regulation in each country in which such products are tested or sold. International regulations may vary from country to country and from those of the United States. The difference in regulations under U.S. law and the laws of foreign countries may be significant and, in order to comply with the laws of foreign countries, we may have to implement global changes to our products or business practices. Such changes may result in additional expense to us and either reduce or delay product development or sales. Additionally, we or our collaborators may be required to obtain certifications or approvals by foreign governments to test and sell the products in foreign countries.

        The regulatory process is expensive and time-consuming, and the time required to complete the process is difficult to predict and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. We have not completed all phases of the regulatory process for any of our traits in development. Our traits could require a significantly longer time to complete the regulatory process than expected, or may never gain approval, even if we and our collaborators expend substantial time and resources seeking such approval. The time required for regulatory approval, or any delay or denial of such approval, could negatively impact our ability to generate revenues and to achieve profitability and finance our ongoing operations. In addition, changes in regulatory review policies during the development period of any of our traits, changes in, or the enactment of, additional regulations or statutes, or changes in regulatory review practices for a submitted product application may cause a delay in obtaining approval or result in the rejection of an application for regulatory approval. Regulatory approval, if obtained, may be made subject to limitations on the intended uses for which we or our collaborators may market a product. These limitations could adversely affect our potential revenues. Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements may, among other things, result in fines, suspensions of regulatory approvals, product recalls, product seizures, operating restrictions, and criminal prosecution.

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        Our work with the Smart Carbon Grid for Crops and the T3 Platform has identified promising potential targets for gene editing, and we believe that these approaches may be subject to less regulatory complexity in the U.S. during development and along the path to commercialization. Gene editing techniques, including CRISPR/Cas9, which involve making small targeted changes to the DNA of a target organism, have been of interest to the agricultural biotech industry because this approach is believed to have the potential to significantly reduce development costs and regulatory timelines for crop trait development and market introduction. Recent statements by the United States Department of Agriculture—Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ("USDA-APHIS") regarding the regulatory path for genetically edited plants and mushrooms indicate that they will not be subject to regulations typically used for genetically modified crops (i.e., they will not be considered "regulated articles") if the modified organisms do not contain any remaining genetic elements from the procedure used for gene editing. While we believe that these industry examples suggest that crops that are gene edited may not be subject to certain GMO regulations in the U.S., we cannot assure you that this regulatory path will be found to apply to any of our seed yield traits or that the regulatory agencies will not change this approach to the regulation of genome editing or introduce new regulatory procedures applicable to such technologies.

The products of third parties or the environment may be negatively affected by the unintended appearance of our yield trait genes.

        The potential for unintended but unavoidable trace amounts, sometimes called "adventitious presence," of yield trait genes in conventional seed, or in the grain or products produced from conventional or organic crops, could affect general public acceptance of these traits. Trace amounts of yield trait genes may unintentionally be found outside our containment area in the products of third parties, which may result in negative publicity and claims of liability brought by such third parties against us. Furthermore, in the event of an unintended dissemination of our genetically engineered materials to the environment, we could be subject to claims by multiple parties, including environmental advocacy groups, as well as governmental actions such as mandated crop destruction, product recalls or additional stewardship practices and environmental cleanup or monitoring. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We rely on third parties to conduct, monitor, support, and oversee field trials and, in some cases, to maintain regulatory files for those products in development, and any performance issues by third parties, or our inability to engage third parties on acceptable terms, may impact our or our collaborators' ability to complete the regulatory process for or commercialize such products.

        We rely on third parties to conduct, monitor, support, and oversee field trials. As a result, we have less control over the timing and cost of these trials than if we conducted these trials with our own personnel. If we are unable to maintain or enter into agreements with these third parties on acceptable terms, or if any such engagement is terminated prematurely, we may be unable to conduct and complete our trials in the manner we anticipate. In addition, there is no guarantee that these third parties will devote adequate time and resources to our studies or perform as required by our contract or in accordance with regulatory requirements, including maintenance of field trial information regarding our products in development. If any of these third parties fail to meet expected deadlines, fail to transfer to us any regulatory information in a timely manner, fail to adhere to protocols, or fail to act in accordance with regulatory requirements or our agreements with them, or if they otherwise perform in a substandard manner or in a way that compromises the quality or accuracy of their activities or the data they obtain, then field trials of our traits in development may be extended or delayed with additional costs incurred, or our data may be rejected by the applicable regulatory agencies. Ultimately, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our field trials is conducted in

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accordance with the applicable protocol and with legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on third parties does not relieve us of our responsibilities.

        If our relationship with any of these third parties is terminated, we may be unable to enter into arrangements with alternative parties on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Switching or adding service providers can involve substantial cost and require extensive management time and focus. Delays may occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired development timelines. If we are required to seek alternative service arrangements, the resulting delays and potential inability to find a suitable replacement could materially and adversely impact our business.

        In addition, recently there has been an increasing trend towards consolidation in the agricultural biotechnology industry. Consolidation among our competitors and third parties upon whom we rely could lead to a changing competitive landscape, capabilities, and strategic priorities among potential service providers, which could have an adverse effect on our business and operations.

If we lose key personnel or are unable to attract and retain necessary talent, we may be unable to develop or commercialize our products under development.

        We are highly dependent on our key technical and scientific personnel, who possess unique knowledge and skills related to our research and technology. If we were to lose the services of these individuals, we may be unable to readily find suitable replacements with comparable knowledge and the experience necessary to advance the research and development of our products. Because of the unique talents and experience of many of our scientific and technical staff, competition for our personnel is intense. Our ability to attract and retain qualified employees may be affected by our efforts to manage cash usage, including reductions in total cash compensation. The loss of key personnel or our inability to hire and retain personnel who have the required expertise and skills could have a material adverse effect on our research and development efforts, our business, and our ability to secure additional required financing.

Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

Patent protection for our technologies is both important and uncertain.

        Our commercial success may depend in part on our obtaining and maintaining patent protection for our technologies in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as successfully enforcing and defending this intellectual property against third-party challenges. If we are not able to obtain or defend patent protection for our technologies, then we will not be able to exclude competitors from developing or marketing such technologies, and this could negatively impact our ability to generate sufficient revenues or profits from product sales and/or licensing to justify the cost of development of our technologies and to achieve or maintain profitability. Our currently issued patents relate to our historical business and have expiration dates ranging from 2020 through 2030. New outstanding patent applications owned by or licensed to us, relating to crop yield improvements have filing dates ranging from 2013 through 2017.

        Our patent position involves complex legal and factual questions. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or in third-party patents. Patents may not be issued for any pending or future pending patent applications owned by or licensed to us, and claims allowed under any issued patent or future issued patent owned or licensed by us may not be valid or sufficiently broad to protect our technologies. Moreover, we may be unable to protect certain of our intellectual property in the United States or in foreign countries. Foreign jurisdictions may not afford the same protections as U.S. law, and we cannot ensure that foreign patent applications will have the same scope as the U.S. patents. There will be many countries in which we will choose not to file or maintain patents because of the costs involved. Competitors may also design around our patents or develop competing technologies.

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        Additionally, any issued patents owned by or licensed to us now or in the future may be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented. We could incur substantial costs to bring suits or other proceedings in which we may assert or defend our patent rights or challenge the patent rights of third parties. An unfavorable outcome of any such litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Third parties may claim that we infringe their intellectual property, and we could suffer significant litigation or licensing expense as a result.

        Various U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications owned by third parties exist in areas relevant to our products and processes. We could incur substantial costs to challenge third party patents. If third parties assert claims against us or our customers alleging infringement of their patents or other intellectual property rights, we could incur substantial costs and diversion of management resources in defending these claims, and the defense of these claims could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, if we are unsuccessful in defending against these claims, these third parties may be awarded substantial damages, as well as injunctive or other equitable relief against us, which could effectively block our ability to make, use, sell, distribute, or market our technologies and services based on our technologies in the United States or abroad. Alternatively, we may seek licenses to such third party intellectual property. However, we may be unable to obtain these licenses on acceptable terms, if at all. Our failure to obtain the necessary licenses or other rights could prevent the sale, manufacture, or distribution of some of our products based on our technologies and, therefore, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Portions of our crop science technology are owned by or subject to retained rights of third parties.

        We have licensed and optioned from academic institutions certain patent rights that may be necessary or important to the development and commercialization of our crop science technology. These licenses and options may not provide exclusive rights to use such intellectual property in all fields of use in which we may wish to develop or commercialize our technology. If we fail to timely exercise our option rights and/or we are unable to negotiate license agreements for optioned patent rights on acceptable terms, the academic institutions may offer such patent rights to third parties. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these license agreements, or if we are subject to a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, the licensor may have the right to terminate the license. In some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of licensed patent applications or the maintenance of the licensed patents. Therefore, we cannot be certain that these patents and applications will be prosecuted, maintained and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. Furthermore, the research resulting in certain of our licensed and optioned patent rights was funded by the U.S. government. As a result, the government may have certain rights, or march-in rights, to such patent rights and technology.

We may not be successful in obtaining necessary rights to additional technologies for the development of our products through acquisitions and in-licenses.

        We may be unable to acquire or in-license additional technologies from third parties that we decide we need in order to develop our business. A number of more established companies may also pursue strategies to license or acquire crop science technologies that we may consider attractive. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, cash resources and greater development and commercialization capabilities. Any failure on our part to reach an agreement for any applicable intellectual property could result in a third party acquiring the related rights and thereby harm our business.

        In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. We also may be unable to license or acquire relevant crop science technologies on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return on our investment.

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        We expect that competition for acquiring and in-licensing crop science technologies that are attractive to us may increase in the future, which may mean fewer suitable opportunities for us as well as higher acquisition or licensing costs. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to suitable crop science technologies on reasonable terms, or at all, our business and financial condition could suffer.

The intellectual property landscape around genome editing technology, such as CRISPR/Cas9, is highly dynamic and uncertain, and any resolution of this uncertainty could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        The field of genome editing, especially in the area of CRISPR/Cas9 technology, is still in its infancy, and no products using this technology have reached the market. We are currently negotiating a license for work in the CRISPR/Cas9 field in order to demonstrate the utility of our yield trait genes in this field. Due to the intense research and development that is taking place by several companies, including us and our competitors, in this field, the intellectual property landscape is in flux, and it may remain uncertain for the coming years. There has been, and may continue to be, significant intellectual property related litigation and proceedings relating to this area in the future. If we obtain a license to certain patent rights using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and it is later determined that such patent rights are invalid or owned by other parties, this could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We rely in part on trade secrets to protect our technology, and our failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could harm our business.

        We rely on trade secrets to protect some of our technology and proprietary information, especially where we believe patent protection is not appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. Litigating a claim that a third party had illegally obtained and was using our trade secrets would be expensive and time consuming, and the outcome would be unpredictable. Moreover, if our competitors independently develop similar knowledge, methods and know-how, it will be difficult for us to enforce our rights and our business could be harmed.

Risks Relating to Owning our Common Stock

Raising additional funds may cause dilution to our existing stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies.

        If we raise additional funds through equity offerings or offerings of equity-linked securities, including warrants or convertible debt securities, we expect that our existing stockholders will experience significant dilution, and the terms of such securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Debt financing, if available, may subject us to restrictive covenants that could limit our flexibility in conducting future business activities, including covenants limiting or restricting our ability to incur additional debt, dispose of assets or make capital expenditures. We may also incur ongoing interest expense and be required to grant a security interest in our assets in connection with any debt issuance. If we raise additional funds through strategic partnerships or licensing agreements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.

A material weakness was identified in our internal control over financial reporting, which could impact our business and financial results.

        Our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of controls, or fraud. Even effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, including any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or if we experience difficulties in their implementation, our business and financial results could be harmed and

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we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. For example, in connection with the evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, we determined that our controls over accounting for stock based compensation expense did not operate effectively. Specifically, our procedures did not operate as designed to validate the calculation for stock based compensation expense resulting from an option award modification. We determined that this constitutes a material weakness.

Trading volume in our stock is low and an active trading market for our common stock may not be available on a consistent basis to provide stockholders with adequate liquidity. Our stock price may be extremely volatile, and our stockholders could lose a significant part of their investment.

        Trading volume in our stock is low and an active trading market for shares of our common stock may not be sustained on a consistent basis. The public trading price for our common stock will be affected by a number of factors, including:

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any change in the status of our NASDAQ listing;



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the need for near term financing to continue operations;



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reported progress in our efforts to develop crop related technologies, relative to investor expectations;



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changes in earnings estimates, investors' perceptions, recommendations by securities analysts or our failure to achieve analysts' earnings estimates;



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quarterly variations in our or our competitors' results of operations;



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general market conditions and other factors unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors;



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future issuances and/or sales of our securities;



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announcements or the absence of announcements by us, or our competitors, regarding acquisitions, new products, significant contracts, commercial relationships or capital commitments;



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commencement of, or involvement in, litigation;



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any major change in our board of directors or management;



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changes in governmental regulations or in the status of our regulatory approvals;



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announcements related to patents issued to us or our competitors and to litigation involving our intellectual property;



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a lack of, or limited, or negative industry or security analyst coverage;



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uncertainty regarding our ability to secure additional cash resources with which to operate our business;



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short-selling or similar activities by third parties; and



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other factors described elsewhere in these Risk Factors.

        As a result of these factors, our stockholders may not be able to resell their shares at, or above, their purchase price. In addition, the stock prices of many technology companies have experienced wide fluctuations that have often been unrelated to the operating performance of those companies. Any negative change in the public's perception of the prospects of industrial or agricultural biotechnology companies could depress our stock price regardless of our results of operations. These factors may have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

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Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our common stock.

        Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and Delaware law may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which our stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares of our common stock. These provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management.

        In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder, which generally refers to a person which together with its affiliates owns, or within the last three years has owned, 15% or more of our voting stock, for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

        The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our Company, thereby reducing the likelihood that our stockholders could receive a premium for their common stock in an acquisition.

Concentration of ownership among our existing officers, directors and principal stockholders may prevent other stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions and depress our stock price.

        Based on the number of shares outstanding as of May 31, 2017, our officers, directors and stockholders who hold at least 5% of our stock beneficially own a combined total of approximately 69.1% of our outstanding common stock, including shares of common stock subject to stock options and warrants that are currently exercisable or are exercisable within 60 days after May 31, 2017. If these officers, directors, and principal stockholders or a group of our principal stockholders act together, they will be able to exert a significant degree of influence over our management and affairs and control matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of mergers, business combinations or other significant transactions. The interests of one or more of these stockholders may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of other stockholders. For instance, officers, directors, and principal stockholders, acting together, could cause us to enter into transactions or agreements that we would not otherwise consider. Similarly, this concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company otherwise favored by our other stockholders. As of May 31, 2017, Jack W. Schuler and William P. Scully beneficially owned approximately 47.2% and approximately 10.2% of our common stock, respectively. Mr. Schuler and entities affiliated with him have agreed to purchase additional shares of our common stock in this offering and Series A-1 Warrants sold in the concurrent private placement.

Our management team will have immediate and broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from this offering and we may use the net proceeds in ways with which you disagree.

        The net proceeds from this offering will be immediately available to our management to use at their discretion. We currently intend to use the net proceeds as discussed under "Use of Proceeds" in this prospectus supplement. We have not allocated specific amounts of the net proceeds from this offering for any other purposes. Accordingly, our management will have significant discretion and flexibility in applying the net proceeds of this offering. You will be relying on the judgment of our management with regard to the use of these net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. It is possible that the net proceeds will be invested in a way that does not result in a favorable, or any, return for us or our stockholders. The failure of our management to use such funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operation.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

        We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $2.0 million from this offering, after deducting the placement agent fee and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

        We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital, and repayment of existing corporate obligations.

DIVIDEND POLICY

        We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock and do not expect to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. We intend to use future earnings, if any, in the operation and expansion of our business. Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, based on our financial condition, results of operations, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business properties, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant.

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DILUTION

        As of March 31, 2017, our net tangible book value was approximately $4.6 million, or $1.61 per share of our Common Stock. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of March 31, 2017.

        After giving effect to the sale of 570,784 shares of our Common Stock in this offering at an offering price of $4.00 per share (attributing no value to the Series A-1 Warrants being offered in the concurrent private placement), and after deducting estimated offering fees and expenses payable by us, our net tangible book value as of March 31, 2017 would have been approximately $1.97 per share of Common Stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.36 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $2.03 per share to investors participating in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution per share of Common Stock to investors participating in this offering:

        The foregoing illustration does not reflect the potential dilution from the exercise of outstanding options or warrants to purchase shares of our common stock or reflect the dilution that would result from the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants sold in the concurrent private placement transaction, as described below under "Private Placement Transaction."

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BUSINESS

Overview

        Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is an agricultural bioscience company focusing on the development of new technologies to enable step-change increases in crop yield to enhance global food security. We consider 10-20 percent increases in crop yield to be step-change increases. According to a United Nations report, food production must be increased by over 70 percent in the next 35 years to feed the growing global population, which is expected to increase from 7 billion to more than 9.6 billion by 2050. During that time period, there will be a reduction in available arable land as a result of infrastructure growth and increased pressure on scarce water resources. Harvestable food production per acre and per growing season must be increased to meet this demand.

        Yield10 is using two proprietary advanced biotechnology trait gene discovery platforms to improve fundamental crop yield through enhanced photosynthetic carbon capture and increased carbon utilization efficiency to increase seed yield. These platforms are based on the principle that plants which capture and utilize carbon more efficiently will enable more robust crops capable of increased seed yield. Yield10 is working to develop, translate and demonstrate the commercial value of new genetically engineered yield trait genes, identified in our discovery platforms, in major crops and to identify additional genome editing targets for improved crop performance in several key food and feed crops, including canola, soybean, rice and corn. Yield10 Bioscience is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has an additional agricultural science facility with greenhouses in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

        Yield10 Bioscience was founded as Metabolix, Inc. in 1992 and originally focused on redirecting carbon flow in living systems to produce bioplastics and biobased chemicals. In 1997, Metabolix started a crop science research program with the intent to produce the microbial bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate ("PHB") in high concentration in the seeds of oilseed crops or in the leaves of biomass crops where it acts as an additional carbon sink or carbon store. As we made progress on our crop program, we learned that the rate of carbon supply from photosynthesis was a bottleneck to the effective utilization of carbon, and we initiated a series of exploratory programs to develop new technologies to fundamentally increase the plants' ability to fix and capture more carbon. These early research programs resulted in the establishment of our crop yield trait gene discovery platforms and the identification of a series of promising proprietary yield trait genes.

        Based on encouraging early results from these gene discovery programs, we refocused our crop science efforts to yield improvement in major food and feed crops in 2015 and rebranded the effort as Yield10 Bioscience. In 2016, we sold our biopolymers assets and restructured the Company around our crop science mission. In January 2017, we completed this transition and changed the name of the company to Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. We are developing proprietary, breakthrough plant biotechnologies to improve crop productivity and seed yield based on two proprietary discovery platforms:

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the "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops Platform,"—in which we are working to eliminate bottlenecks in plant photosynthesis and carbon metabolism by harnessing new metabolic capabilities from non-plant systems including microbes and algae, and;



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the "T3 Platform,"—in which we have identified three powerful global regulator genes in plants which control complex regulatory networks and gene cascades resulting in step-change increases in photosynthetic carbon fixation and biomass yields. Molecular genomic analysis of high yielding plants developed using these genes has identified a series of additional crop trait gene targets. Genetic engineering of this new series of crop trait gene targets can be accomplished using only DNA sequences from the crop target species or through genome editing, potentially reducing regulatory costs and timelines.

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In our work to date, our team has demonstrated step-change yield increases in Camelina seed production and in switchgrass biomass production. We are currently progressing the development of our lead yield trait genes in canola, soybean, rice and corn to provide step-change crop yield solutions for enhancing global food security.

        With these two platforms, we have established a series of proprietary trait genes to enhance carbon dioxide capture and fixation in both C3 and C4 photosynthetic plants for yield improvement. C3 photosynthesis, the simplest type of plant photosynthetic system, exists in most agricultural crops used for human consumption, and includes canola, soybean, rice, wheat and potato. C4 photosynthesis is a more complex system. Plants using the C4 system have evolved an additional distinctive cellular structure, in which carbon dioxide is concentrated for the main photosynthesis enzyme RUBISCO through a series of metabolic and metabolite transports known as the C4 pathway. Corn and sugarcane are part of the C4 photosynthetic plant family. In general, C4 photosynthetic plants have up to five times inherently higher plant yield than plants in the C3 photosynthetic family. This difference in plant yield is a result of evolution, which has led plant scientists to consider the possibility that new genetic enhancements can be created to fundamentally improve the photosynthetic system in C3 plants.

        Over the last 18 months, we have consolidated our crop science intellectual property position with approximately ten patent filings in prosecution, identified additional novel gene targets for improving crop performance and yield through genetic engineering or genome editing, formed a scientific advisory board with leaders in plant science, conducted several greenhouse studies and conducted our first Fast Field Testing of traits from our "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops" discovery platform. We have reported encouraging data for our lead yield trait gene, C3003 in Camelina from greenhouse and field tests and are conducting additional studies in Camelina, canola, soybean and rice.

        Crop yield is the primary driver of the agriculture value chain. Yield can make the difference between a profitable season and losses for growers. As such, technologies to protect crop yield or increase it are the primary determinant of the seed buying decision by growers at the start of the season. This in turn determines both revenue and market share for the major seed players. Yield10's goal is to discover, optimize and translate our yield trait gene innovations into major food and feed crops and demonstrate the economic value to growers and seed companies. In all cases our trait genes will be introduced using genetic engineering technologies either to introduce new genes, to introduce additional copies of genes from the same crop species with modified regulatory sequences from that crop species or by using genome editing technologies to reduce or eliminate the function of specific plant gene targets in individual crops. The method by which we deploy our yield trait genes has significant regulatory implications, which, in turn can affect the timelines and cost of their commercialization. We intend to create high-value assets in the form of proprietary yield gene technologies and to de-risk these assets by progressing them along the path to commercial development with increasingly larger scale field tests and multi-site field trials in major crops. We are deploying our yield trait genes into canola, soybean and corn. We are engineering these traits into the major crops with the goal that they will be suitable for the regulatory approval process and in crop varieties (germplasm) such that our traits can be readily introduced into the industry's elite crop lines by plant breeding.

The Unmet Need: Global Population Growth Outpacing Anticipated Global Food Supply

        Yield10 is targeting a critical unmet need in agriculture based on the future disconnect between agricultural supply and the growing global population. According to a United Nations study, the global population is expected to exceed 9.6 billion people by 2050 and therefore there is a need to increase global food production to meet this demand. This will need to be achieved in the face of increased pressure on land and water resources in addition to increasingly variable weather patterns. Solving this problem is a major global challenge requiring new crop innovation and technologies to fundamentally enhance crop productivity.

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The Yield Gap

        According to several studies described in an article published in the Public Library of Science in 2013, crop yields may no longer be increasing in different regions of the globe, and current rates of crop yield increase are expected to fall significantly behind the levels needed to meet the demand for global food production. The researchers found that the top four global crops—maize (corn), rice, wheat and soybean—are currently witnessing average yield improvements of only between 0.9 to 1.6 percent per year, far slower than the required rates to double their production by 2050 solely from incremental yield gains. At these rates, global production of maize, rice, wheat and soybean crops may be required to increase by about 67 percent, 42 percent, 38 percent and 55 percent, respectively, by 2050, in order to meet the anticipated increase in demand for food production caused by population growth. For corn and soybean, the benefits of currently available Genetic Modification ("GM") traits were already factored into the data cited in the studies referenced above. The yield increases needed to meet the demands of the growing global population show that a significant "yield gap" exists for each of the crops evaluated in the study.

        Yield10 is focused on addressing the yield gap for major crops by utilizing modern biotechnology strategies, including metabolic engineering (synthetic biology approaches) to "build better plants," in which technology is deployed to make the process of photosynthesis within plants more efficient at capturing atmospheric carbon and depositing that carbon in seed or biomass, with the effect of improving the overall yield of important food crops. Enhancement of the photosynthetic capacity of major crops is fundamentally important to crop science and an essential first step to increase the seed and/or biomass yield of plants and, therefore, food production. We have been working on the area of increasing photosynthetic carbon capture and crop yield technologies since 2012. As a result, we have identified a number of exciting genes for increasing yield or improving crop performance.

Business Strategy

        Our goal is to build a successful agricultural biotechnology company centered on demonstrating the value of our yield traits in major food and feed crops. We have identified and are evaluating novel yield trait genes that we have discovered using our two technology platforms. We believe we have extensive and unique metabolic engineering capabilities that can be deployed to help address the growing global yield gap in food and feed crops. As the primary driver of financial returns each season, crop yield is the key decision variable for farmers in making seed buying decisions, and as a result is critical to the seed industry. Improvements in yield to the levels targeted by Yield10, for example 10-20 percent increases, can be expected to generate significant value to the seed and crop industry. For example, Yield10 is targeting an approximately 20 percent increase in canola and soybean yields, which, if successfully deployed across North American acreage, would result in annual incremental crop value of $10 billion. By ultimately increasing the output of major food and feed crops and potentially reducing strains on scarce natural resources, we believe that Yield10's technologies will also contribute to addressing global food security.

        Recognizing the highly concentrated nature of the seed business, the prevalence of cross-licensing of traits, and the need to stack multiple crop traits in elite seed germplasm to provide the best options for farmers, Yield10 does not expect to become an integrated seed company. The current major seed players dominate the GM crop space based largely on the early technology innovations that resulted in herbicide and pest resistance traits and have a very successful operating track record in the sector. Therefore, rather than replicating the downstream elements of these operations and developing our own regulatory, crop breeding or seed production capabilities, we intend to seek industry collaborations and partnerships to leverage these existing core competencies of the current seed industry. Yield10 will focus on its core competency, which is breakthrough science and technology innovation.

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        Yield10 plans to build on its core strengths bringing new technology approaches to exploit an innovation gap in the agricultural biotechnology space due to reduced investment in basic research and development resulting from the ongoing consolidation and restructuring in the agricultural sector. Yield10's mission is to translate and optimize our step-change yield trait innovations into the major food and feed crops, and demonstrate their economic value to farmers and seed companies. We intend to create high-value assets in the form of proprietary yield trait gene technologies and to de-risk these assets by progressing them along the path to commercial development with increasingly larger scale field tests and multi-site field trials in major crops. We are currently deploying our yield trait genes into canola, soybean and corn, by designing and progressing genetically engineered events suitable for the regulatory approval process which can be readily bred into the industry's elite crop lines by plant breeding. We expect the customers for Yield10's innovations to be the large and mid-size agricultural companies that would either license or acquire rights to Yield10's yield trait genes and incorporate them into their proprietary commercial crop lines for subsequent commercialization.

We are focused on identifying and developing technologies that will enable us to produce step-change improvements to crop yield.

        Yield10 is targeting a critical unmet need in agriculture based on the anticipated disconnect between agricultural supply and the growing global population. Food production must be increased by over 70 percent in the next 35 years to feed the growing global population, which is expected to increase from 7 billion to more than 9.6 billion by 2050. Global climate change is also resulting in regional shifts to historical growing conditions. Given the projection for population growth, recent studies show a "yield gap" for major food and feed crops that studies show cannot be addressed by incremental improvements to yield brought about by traditional plant breeding and existing GM traits. Current GM traits in the industry are based primarily on using microbial-sourced genes to impart yield protection through herbicide, pest, disease and even drought resistance, whereas Yield10 is focused on increasing fundamental crop yield through enhanced carbon capture and utilization.

        Yield10 is fundamentally focused on "building better plants" based on using genetic engineering technologies to deploy new yield trait genes that improve the efficiency of photosynthesis and the efficiency of converting fixed carbon to seed and/or introducing targeted genetic changes in the plant genome that allow the plant to make more seed or biomass.

Our History

We have a significant track record and expertise in the metabolic engineering of microbes and have made significant progress translating this capability to plants.

        As part of the legacy biopolymers and biobased chemicals business of our predecessor company Metabolix, our research team developed an advanced metabolic engineering capability to alter key biochemical pathways and redirect the flow of carbon metabolic intermediates in microbes resulting in the production of the biomaterial polyhydroxyalkanoate or PHA, at a level of more than 80 to 90 percent by weight of microbial cells that normally did not produce any PHA. Through our experience producing PHA in plants we have demonstrated that our experience with re-engineering the metabolism of microbes can be translated to "building better plants." In 1997, Metabolix initiated a crop science research program to produce renewable bioplastics and chemicals from agricultural crops. Historically, these efforts were focused on producing PHB, a microbial carbon storage biopolymer, in high concentration in the seeds of oilseed crops or in the leaves of biomass crops such as switchgrass.

        As we made progress on producing PHB in plants, we learned that basic carbon supply from photosynthesis was a bottleneck. To address this carbon shortfall, we began developing new metabolic engineering and bioinformatics approaches to enhancing basic crop photosynthetic carbon capture. Discoveries from these two approaches became the foundation of our "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops"

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and "T3 Platform" crop trait discovery platforms, respectively. We also began building intellectual property on novel yield trait gene technologies discovered in these programs. Photosynthesis is the most important biological process responsible for global food production. For example, according to the USDA, the output of U.S. farms contributed $177 billion, or one percent, to GDP in 2014. Improving the photosynthetic capacity of plants is an essential first step to increase the performance of crops to increase seed and/or biomass yield and, therefore, food production. We must develop plants which on a per acre basis during the growing season fix more carbon and ultimately target that additional fixed carbon to seed. Key to achieving this is increasing the rate of net photosynthetic carbon capture. Once a plant has fixed carbon, that fixed carbon can be directed to three different places: it can be used to make roots, leaf and stem tissue of biomass, used for seed or it can be released again as CO2 through normal metabolic processes.

        In 2015 and 2016, we made significant progress applying our "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops" platform to plants. Using this technology platform, which we established as a result of a series of government funded internal programs and external academic collaborations, we have developed metabolic engineering strategies using microbial genes to introduce new functionality into plants to increase photosynthesis by making key metabolic pathways in plants more efficient, and to eliminate bottlenecks to efficient carbon usage. This approach is similar to what has been the bedrock of the agricultural biotech seed industry, the introduction of genes from non-plant systems to enable new functionality in the form of herbicide, pest resistance and drought tolerance. Our approaches led not only to the identification of novel yield trait genes but also encouraging early yield data from field studies with our lead yield trait gene in the industrial oilseed Camelina.

Our Approach

We have two unique, proprietary technology platforms for identifying novel yield trait genes.

        Our unique approach consists of two core technology platforms. The first is based on our 30 years of experience optimizing the flow of carbon intermediates in living systems and is called the "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops." Using this approach and working with our partners in academia, Yield10 has demonstrated major step-changes in seed yield in the industrial oilseed Camelina. We currently have four novel trait genes impacting seed yield, which we refer to as: C3003 through C3006, and we are progressing our lead yield trait gene C3003 in our key crop targets canola, soybean and corn. Recently, we reported seed yield increases of up to 23 percent in early field tests conducted in 2016 with Camelina.

        In our second platform, the "T3 Platform," we developed a proprietary computational process to identify global transcription factor (GTF) genes, or master switches, which algorithms predicted could both up-regulate or down-regulate multiple gene cascades with the potential for increasing photosynthesis, reducing bottlenecks in central metabolism and positively impacting plant and biomass yield. We have tested the three lead gene targets experimentally and have shown that they produced average increases of over 40 percent in photosynthetic carbon fixation, flow of carbon through central metabolism and biomass levels in our experiments with switchgrass. In some cases the biomass yield has been increased up to 70 percent in preliminary greenhouse tests, a notable finding given that switchgrass is a high yielding C4 photosynthetic crop. Although it is a very useful model for C4 photosynthesis plants, switchgrass is not a food crop, so we identified the corresponding genes in major food crops including our key targets, soybean, rice and corn, and we are currently progressing these trait genes in those crops.

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Our work with the Smart Carbon Grid for Crops and the T3 Platform has identified promising potential targets for genome editing. We believe that these approaches may be subject to less regulatory complexity in the U.S. during development and along the path to commercialization, and may provide opportunities for licensing.

        Genome editing techniques, including CRISPR/Cas9, which involve making small targeted changes to the DNA of a target organism, have been of interest to the agricultural biotechnology industry because this approach is believed to have the potential to significantly reduce development costs and regulatory timelines for crop trait development and market introduction. Announcements from DuPont and the United States Department of Agriculture—Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ("USDA-APHIS") regarding a clarification on the regulatory path for a genetically edited corn line indicated that this line will not be subject to regulations typically used for genetically modified crops on the basis that while the plant DNA was edited, the final plant did not contain any remaining foreign DNA (i.e. DNA sequences not from the plant being engineered) from the procedure used to edit the plant. This industry example suggests that crops that are genome edited may not be subject to certain GMO regulations in the U.S., an outcome supported by recent developments in the USDA APHIS review of the current regulatory process for crops made using genetic engineering. This has opened the potential for Yield10 to exploit a second tier of novel traits addressable with genome editing. The challenge now for the agricultural biotechnology sector will be to identify gene targets for genome editing which can generate economic value.

        Yield10 has identified from its internal discovery platforms and in-licensed through academic collaborations a number of gene targets for genome editing in crops. In the course of our work, we have introduced genes coding for new metabolic pathway enzymes or global transcription factors producing high yield lines with higher rates of photosynthetic carbon fixation. We are studying our high yield plants at the molecular level using advances in high throughput analytical systems at the whole genome level to look at what happens to every other gene in the plant as a result of the changes we have engineered in, focused specifically on which native plant genes are turned on or off. Genes whose activity is turned on in the high yield lines are worth further study on their own and genes whose activity is turned off are interesting candidates for genome editing. This type of molecular analysis of the high yielding lines where the flow of carbon is higher has given us insights into key steps to target for further improvement. We have recently made progress deploying genome editing technology against the first of these additional targets in Camelina. We expect to increase our level of effort in this area in other crops, particularly canola, over the course of 2017, eventually expanding into soybean, rice and corn. We believe our genome editing targets as well as the improved crops we develop using this approach may enable us to form collaborations or license arrangements with a broader set of commercial partners and bring these forward into development in the near-term.

        In June 2017, we submitted an "Am I Regulated?" letter to USDA-APHIS's Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) to confirm that our genome-edited Camelina plant line developed using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology for increased oil content does not meet the definition of a regulated article under 7 CFR Part 340 regulations. Together with our wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, Metabolix Oilseeds, Inc., we developed the genome edited Camelina line. Researchers used the CRISPR genome editing tool to inactivate an enzyme expected to increase seed oil content in Camelina, a trait we have designated as C3008. There are three copies of this gene in the Camelina genome, and complete editing of all copies was achieved. This trait may have further applications when used in combination with other traits that we are developing that are expected to increase seed oil content, including C3007.

        We plan to use any revenues we generate from license agreements around our genome editing targets to support our ongoing research and development efforts to enable step-changes in crop yield.

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We are developing the Camelina Fast Field Test model system to evaluate and de-risk novel yield trait genes.

        One of the challenges the agricultural industry has faced over the years is translating early crop science discovery into value generating traits. In part this is because results from greenhouse studies in model plants have not translated well into field results in major crops. This is also in part because the plants used for discovery research have not been suitable for studies in the field and are not representative of the advanced seed or crop varieties (germplasm) used in commercial production, which have been subject to decades of intensive breeding to improve yield. Translating success when introducing non-plant genes into major crops has been very successful and the current biotech seed sector, which accounted for 444 million acres of crops worldwide in 2015 is based on using microbial genes in plants. The long timelines to progress early discoveries successfully into major crops and generate field data adds to the challenge.

        For these reasons, Yield10 has put in place a process we call "Fast Field Testing" based on our Camelina oilseed platform. We believe that over time this will become a valuable tool in the trait discovery to translation effort. Camelina is an industrial oilseed well-suited to field trials, and we believe it is a good model for identifying promising new yield traits for canola and soybean. It is also very fast to modify and develop genetically stable seed sufficient for planting. Ideally, we hope to be able to progress from trait identification to field planting in about 12 months. Our process is to identify trait genes of interest in Camelina and immediately begin putting them into canola and soybean, where the timelines to transform plant lines and generate field data are much longer. We can then progress the Fast Field Testing in Camelina and generate field data and a complete molecular analysis of plant material from the field. These results and data can then be used to inform how we progress the previously transformed canola and soybean.

        We believe that this will provide the opportunity for go-no-go decisions in some cases and in other cases allow us to update our approach based on the results of our Fast Field Testing in Camelina. For example with the longer development timelines needed to get canola and soybean ready for field testing, we expect to initiate additional modifications earlier in these crops, having identified the potential to further improve the outcome based on the results of our Fast Field Testing in Camelina.

        In 2017, we are intensifying our efforts to evaluate genome editing targets for improving seed yield, seed composition and/or biomass yield in commercial crops. We believe that strategies based on C3004, a trait that complements C3003, and on C3007, an oil content boosting trait that we have an option to in-license, have the potential to provide a path to commercialization based on achieving "nonregulated" status from USDA-APHIS. If this status is achieved, this could significantly reduce the time and cost of launching new yield traits. These traits also complement the work we are doing with C3003 in oilseed crops, adding to a portfolio of yield traits targeting oilseed crops. In addition, we are advancing research with a number of genome editing targets from the C4000 series of traits, which could provide new strategies to increase biomass yield in forage and other crops.

        In our 2017 field test program, we are testing both first and second generation versions of C3003 in Camelina. We are also testing first generation C3003 in canola, an important North American oilseed crop. Key agronomic and growth parameters of the plants will be monitored throughout the field test and yield data including seed weight, seed size and oil content will be measured and analyzed as compared to control plants. In field tests conducted in 2016, C3003 produced up to a 23 percent increase in seed yield (by weight) in the best performing Camelina lines. Stable Camelina seed lines expressing the second generation yield trait gene C3003 were grown and evaluated in a greenhouse study. The best performing Camelina line produced up to a 24 percent increase in seed yield (seed weight per plant), while maintaining a typical individual seed weight compared to control plants. Results from greenhouse studies are indicative of trends, and that further field tests will be needed to verify the results. Because soybean is the leading North American oilseed crop, we accelerated

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deployment of both first and second generation C3003 into soybean last year and remain on track to obtain initial greenhouse data in late 2017 or early 2018.

        In June 2017, we announced that planting has been completed at study sites in Canada for field tests to evaluate C3003 in Camelina and canola. Following completion of field tests in the fall of 2017, we plan to report results of the study in the fourth quarter of 2017. In previous studies, C3003 has shown promising improvements in oilseed yield. Results from our prior studies with C3003 suggest that it may provide an entirely new strategy to improve seed yield in oilseeds and other C3 photosynthetic crops by bringing in new metabolic functionality from non-plant systems.

        We are using this process to de-risk and accelerate the demonstration of the trait gene value in major crops through the use of Fast Field Testing in a model system. As a particular trait is de-risked there is the potential for inflection points in value. If we can establish a strong correlation between the results from the Camelina system with future field data first from canola and then with soybean, then we may be able to leverage this to enter partnership and licensing discussions earlier while preserving the opportunity to capture a meaningful share of the upside value.

If results of testing new yield traits in our Camelina Fast Field Testing model are shown to be predictive of results that can be obtained in other C3 crops, we may be able to accelerate translation of new traits into important food and feed crops.

        We developed our Camelina Fast Field Testing model as a system to develop and optimize yield traits based on novel metabolic pathways. We have significant expertise in the genetic transformation and breeding of Camelina. We believe that if we can show that the results we obtain for potential yield traits are directionally predictive for the results we obtain in oilseed crops and other C3 crops, then we will be able to use the system to effectively screen for novel traits and accelerate their deployment into additional crops having the C3 photosynthetic system, including canola, soybean, rice and wheat. For this reason, our Camelina Fast Field testing system may prove to be a valuable tool for novel yield trait discovery facilitating translation into commercially important crops.

Our Oilseed Operation based in Canada provides us with unique capabilities in the development of oilseed crops.

        We established our oilseeds subsidiary in Canada in 2010 to produce robust oilseed germplasm with engineered value-added traits for commercial crop production in western North America. Our oilseeds team is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with laboratories in the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute ("PBI") and commercial greenhouse and laboratory facilities at nearby Innovation Place. Our team has developed and implemented technology to improve and accelerate engineering, trait evaluation and breeding of Camelina and canola. The team also plays a key role in designing and conducting greenhouse and field tests required to effectively evaluate novel yield traits.

We have established a lean organizational footprint which is capable of evaluating our initial novel yield traits in greenhouse and field tests while maintaining efficient use of cash resources.

        As of December 31, 2016, we had 20 full-time employees, with the majority directly involved with our research and development activities. We believe that our organizational capabilities are aligned with our research priorities and are complemented by our use of third party infrastructure and certain service providers. With this approach we can leverage third party infrastructure and capability without having to spend the time and capital needed to recreate them in-house. This will allow us to focus our limited resources on deploying our core strengths against our key development goals. We expect to grow our research and development operations over time commensurate with building value in our business and advancing our traits through development while at the same time tightly managing overhead costs.

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We have established academic collaborations which provide us with opportunities to access government grant revenue to support our research as well as key intellectual property.

        Yield10 has pursued academic collaborations that have led to the discovery of novel yield trait genes. Researcher Danny Schnell, Ph.D. discovered the C3003 trait in an ARPA-e funded collaborative project at the University of Massachusetts in which Yield10 was a partner. In 2015, Prof. Schnell moved to Michigan State University where he is Chairperson, Department of Plant Biology and remains a collaborator. Heike Sederoff, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University developed the C3004 and C3005 traits with ARPA-e funding which Yield10 is now progressing under a license agreement. Both Dr. Schnell and Dr. Sederoff are members of our Scientific Advisory Board. In early 2017, Yield10 announced taking an option to a global license agreement from the University of Missouri. This license covers a genome editing target based on the recent discovery of a key regulatory mechanism controlling oil production in oilseed crops which can be used to increase the oil content. Oil content is the key economic driver in crops such as canola, sunflower and safflower. We plan to exercise this option later in 2017.

We plan to seek U.S. and Canadian government grants to support our research and development goals.

        Yield10 has been awarded grants over the last several years supporting research on strategies to improve the efficiency of photosynthesis, identify novel yield traits and test novel yield traits in Camelina. This work is valuable because traits developed in Camelina have the potential to be developed and deployed in other oilseed crops. We plan to continue to pursue government grants to defray research costs associated with our research and development activities.

We plan to deploy our novel yield trait genes to generate proof points across a range of crops.

        Current biotech-generated crop protection traits such as "Roundup Ready" and insect resistance are deployed broadly in the Americas in the canola, soybean and corn crops. For novel yield trait genes, such as C3003, we envision deployment of the trait in C3 photosynthetic oilseed crops such as Camelina, canola and soybean and potentially in other C3 crops such as rice, alfalfa, cotton, potato and wheat. We are currently testing C3003 and C4003 in rice where genetically modified plants have not yet been widely introduced commercially. We also believe there is an opportunity to deploy our novel yield traits into existing GM crops as "stacked traits" included in branded seeds marketed and sold to farmers. "Stacked traits" refers to the practice of adding multiple biotech traits to an elite plant line as a strategy to further increase value.

        In addition we view our genome editing targets as a complement to plant breeding techniques and plan to test our genome editing targets in oilseed crops, as well as in rice, corn and forage crops as a way to improve seed yield and/or biomass and generate opportunities for licensing or collaboration with established industry partners.

We believe our business model will allow us to capture value for our discoveries and provide a path to commercialization for important new yield traits for major crops.

        We are positioning Yield10 as a discovery company whereby we will work to advance our own developments as well as form business alliances to progress our traits through development and early commercialization. Our goal is to capture an attractive share of the added economic value resulting from the deployment of our trait genes and technologies in key crops. We are currently working on the development and deployment of our trait genes into canola, soybean, rice and corn, an approach facilitated by the expiration of much of the early foundation patents in the agricultural biotechnology sector, and one of our key objectives in that regard is to demonstrate commercial proof points through multi-site field tests. Yield10 has a number of opportunities and models for value capture including partnering or licensing with established agricultural industry players. Key to our strategy is to retain,

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where practical, control of timelines and maximize, where possible, the opportunity for value creation and optionality around future exit strategies.

Technology Platforms

        In the last decade there has been a dramatic expansion of new genetic engineering and systems biology tools: genomics data; metabolic engineering; high-throughput analytical tools, including whole organism gene expression analysis and metabolomics, and powerful genome editing technologies. At Yield10 we plan to build value by leveraging genome editing targets for revenue generation in the near-term while we independently work to demonstrate the economic value of our transformative genetic engineering based yield breakthroughs in the longer term. The recent expiration of early blocking patents on plant genetic engineering means we can now be more effective in research and development, leverage third party service providers and independently drive key proof points in major commercial crops such as canola, soybean and corn while focusing our resources on our core strengths. Yield10 is focused on increasing the inherent yield of major food and feed crops. With regard to forming collaborations, we recognize there are considerable headwinds to overcome in this sector, including industry skepticism based on disappointing outcomes from major investments made screening large numbers of single crop genes. This has resulted in a challenging environment for early crop innovations prior to demonstration of key proof points in commercial crops. Our goal is to "build better plants" which requires new approaches and innovation and in our view will most likely involve gene combinations and/or multi-gene systems.

        Increasing crop yield is a complex two-step carbon optimization problem. Harvested seed is mostly carbon fixed from carbon dioxide in the air by photosynthesis with oxygen coming from water in the soil and smaller amounts of nitrogen and phosphate both of which are applied as fertilizer. To achieve increased yield, the rate at which crops can fix carbon has to be increased. Based on our experience optimizing carbon flow in living systems, we know that increasing seed yield will likely require multiple trait genes to increase carbon fixation by photosynthesis at the front-end and direct the increased fixed carbon to the seed. One analogy would be the fact that simply filling the gas tank in a car does not make it go faster. If successful in increasing photosynthesis, we expect to reach metabolic bottlenecks downstream, some of which will likely prevent some of the additional fixed carbon from reaching the seed. However, with new analytical tools available we expect to be able to identify bottlenecks and develop solutions to achieve our targeted outcomes, step-change increases in seed yield. This leads to our theme of enhanced carbon capture from photosynthesis and targeted carbon deposition to seed.

        Plants can be categorized generally into two different groups based on their system of photosynthesis. C3 photosynthesis, the simplest type of plant photosynthetic system, exists in most agricultural crops used for human consumption, and includes canola, soybean, rice, wheat and potato. C4 photosynthesis is a more complex system. Plants using the C4 system have evolved an additional distinctive cellular structure, in which carbon dioxide is concentrated for the main photosynthesis enzyme RUBISCO through a series of metabolic and metabolite transports known as the C4 pathway. Corn and sugarcane are part of the C4 photosynthetic plant family. In general, C4 photosynthetic plants have up to five times inherently higher plant yield than plants in the C3 photosynthetic family. This difference in plant yield is a result of evolution, which has led plant scientists to consider the possibility that new genetic enhancements can be created to fundamentally improve the photosynthetic system in C3 plants.

Smart Carbon Grid for Crops Technology Platform

        Yield10 is leveraging over a decade of metabolic engineering experience to optimize photosynthetic carbon capture and utilization in plant systems, which is critical to increasing seed yield. The "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops" is an advanced metabolic engineering platform that we believe has the potential to address well known metabolic limitations in crops and in C3 crops in particular. Similar to

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the electric grid where much of the investment made to generate the power is lost in the distribution system, plants having the C3 photosynthetic system are similar in that they lose over half the carbon the grower has paid to fix in input costs due to metabolic inefficiencies. We plan to mirror an approach taken by many of the current herbicide and pest resistance GM traits where genes from non-plant sources were used successfully to impart new functionality to crops. In our case, we are exploiting non-plant genes such as genes from microbial or algal sources to fix or reduce the impact of well-understood carbon capture metabolic pathway limitations in C3 crops. For example, photorespiration is a wasteful side reaction or carbon capture inefficiency in crops having the C3 photosynthetic system which represent approximately 70 percent of the food consumed by humans and include wheat, rice, soybean, canola and potato. We believe reducing photorespiration should lead to improved net carbon fixation from photosynthesis and as a result, we would expect to see step-change increases in seed yield.

        To illustrate the value creation potential, yield loss in C3 crops due to photorespiration was recently quantified in a paper published in the Annual Reviews of Plant Biology. The authors estimated that yield in U.S. soybean crops is reduced by 36 percent and the yield in U.S. wheat crops is reduced by 20 percent due to photorespiration. They also estimated that achieving a five percent reduction of photorespiration in soybean and wheat in the U.S. would add approximately $500 million per year of value. Some models suggest that photosynthesis could improve by 12 to 55 percent in the absence of photorespiration. Therefore, photorespiration has been a major topic in plant science and researchers have employed multiple strategies in attempts to reduce photorespiration in C3 plants as a means to improve yield.

        Reducing photorespiration is one of the key targets of our Smart Carbon Grid for Crops technology platform. This platform is an innovative, systems based approach to boost yield by increasing the amount of carbon fixed by photosynthesis and targeting the increased carbon to harvestable seed. Our lead trait, C3003, has been shown to enhance carbon fixation and seed yield in the oilseed Camelina where it impacts photorespiration. C3003 is a scientific discovery made in one of our academic collaborations and Yield10 has exclusive rights to this technology. While our collaborator continues to work on characterizing the mechanism of this yield trait gene, current data suggests C3003 is a very unique gene that reduces photorespiration in an unexpected manner. New science also represents a key aspect of de-risking our technologies. If the science provides new insights or addresses a well-defined bottleneck in a key limiting pathway common to a large number of crops, then the expectations for broadly translating initial results should be higher. We are excited about the prospects of C3003 in reducing the well-known yield losses that occur through photorespiration in C3 crops. We are currently studying C3003's effect in the food crops canola, soybean and rice. We know C3003 has increased the rate of photosynthetic carbon fixation in our Camelina plants and we have been able to study these plants at the molecular level. Consistent with our initial hypothesis that downstream bottlenecks can be identified, we have found that in high yielding plants expressing C3003, the expression of other genes, including our C3004 trait gene is changed. We believe the C3004 trait gene is involved in controlling the flow of fixed carbon to seed as part of the plants natural regulatory system. It is well known that the flow of carbon in plants is tightly controlled and we believe our approach to engineering the C3004 gene using genome editing has the potential to remove one of these control points and can be combined with the C3003 trait gene to further increase yield beyond what can be achieved with C3003 alone.

T3 Platform and Plant Targets for Genome Editing

        In crops having the evolutionary advanced, more efficient C4 photosynthetic system, including corn, sugarcane and sorghum, the yield is already several-fold higher than in C3 crops. In this case, the hurdle to accomplish step-change increases in seed yield is higher as these crops are already more metabolically efficient. Leveraging the industry's significant investment in crop genomics research over

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the last 20 years, we developed the "T3 platform," which is an algorithm-based approach to "big data" mining of publicly available genomics data sets. We focused not on individual genes but on specific gene expression patterns. Gene expression patterns tell the researcher which genes are turned on and off under different growth conditions. With the T3 platform we wanted to identify and focus our activities on a small number of very important plant genes. Using this approach we were able to identify and select novel genes, which could function as global regulators or master switches to control cascades of other genes and metabolic systems. The strategy was to use the T3 platform to significantly narrow the number of candidate genes to be tested and then test them experimentally in our high throughput gene transformation platform in our C4 photosynthetic crop model system, switchgrass. We validated the T3 platform approach by verifying with experimental results the positive yield impact of the three gene targets we identified computationally, an exceptional hit rate. These three yield genes, C4001, C4002 and C4003, increased photosynthetic carbon capture and biomass production by over 40 percent in our switchgrass plants. In this case our early experiments have been successful in demonstrating the potential to increase the rate of carbon fixation even in a high yielding C4 crop.

        In June 2017, we reported that our novel C4001 trait, a global regulatory gene or transcription factor, has been shown to significantly increase plant biomass yield in switchgrass. Switchgrass plants expressing C4001 had significantly more aboveground biomass (75-100 percent increase in dry weight) as compared to controls and more root biomass (85-145 percent increase in dry weight) as compared to controls. The C4001 trait in switchgrass plants increased a key measure of photosynthetic efficiency, the electron transport rate, by approximately 75 percent. Yield10 researchers challenged the C4001 plants by engineering a novel carbon sink, the production of a biopolymer that typically reduces plant yield when expressed and accumulated at high levels in plants. Expression of C4001 in biopolymer producing plants partially restored biomass production, yielding plants that were healthier in terms of size and weight as compared to control plants, while producing the same amount of biopolymer. As a next step, we are planning to evaluate C4001-like traits in forage crops and major commercial crops including corn and rice. We are currently evaluating the trait in rice in greenhouse studies, where we are seeing evidence of increased biomass and are awaiting results from ongoing research to determine the impact on seed yield.

        We believe Yield10 is in a unique position to expand our learning and discover additional gene targets, or genes that need to be modulated, to optimize the flow of carbon to seed in these plants and have made considerable progress in this regard. Molecular analysis of high yielding plants expressing the global transcription factors has allowed the identification of 71 downstream transcription factors that are differentially expressed in the high yielding lines and thus are themselves targets for genetic manipulation. The expression of some of these genes is down regulated in the high yielding plants making them exciting targets for genome editing through well-known approaches such as CRISPR/Cas9. We are beginning to validate these second generation gene targets in switchgrass and have thus far validated the predicted role of the first three genes. These trait genes have been named C4004, C4005 and C4006. We know the industry has struggled to deploy downstream transcription factors to improve crops particularly in hybrid corn. However, we are optimistic that we will be more successful introducing our global regulator genes given the impact we saw in our experiments, and we believe genome edited traits, particularly simple gene deletions, will be significantly easier to implement and translate across all varieties of a crop.

Fast Field Testing System in Camelina

        One of the challenges the agricultural industry has faced over the years is translating early crop science discoveries into value generating traits. This is in part because most of the plants used for discovery research have not been suitable for studies in the field. In addition, the plant systems used for discovery are not representative of the advanced seed or germplasm used in commercial production

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which have been subject to decades of intensive breeding to improve yield. The long timelines to progress early discoveries successfully into major crops and generate field data adds to the challenge.

        In 2010, we established a research and development operation in Saskatoon, Canada staffed with leading oilseed researchers. Our team established a model for testing novel trait genes called the "Fast Field Testing" system based on our Camelina oilseed platform. We believe that this system has the potential to become a valuable tool for our yield trait discovery and translation effort. Camelina is an industrial oilseed, with reasonable field performance providing a robust model for canola and soybean and is well suited to large scale multi-site field tests and larger scale trials. Camelina is a plant that can be readily genetically modified and bred through the efforts of our skilled staff to deliver genetically stable seed sufficient for planting in field tests. We have shown that we can go from the identification of a potential yield trait gene or combinations of genes to field planting in about 12 months. In our Fast Field Tests, we collect and analyze a broad set of data on our transgenic plants including parameters such as stand establishment, flowering, maturity, seed weight, seed size, oil content and oil composition. We also perform molecular analysis on plants of interest. We are using our Camelina Fast Field Test system to identify and screen trait genes of interest while deploying them in parallel into canola, soybean and rice where the timelines to obtain stable plant lines and field data are longer.

Traits in Development

        With the benefit of more than five years of investment, the Company has been able to launch itself as Yield10 Bioscience with ownership or licensed rights to several crop trait genes in hand and with the lead yield trait gene C3003 well-positioned in terms of translation and demonstration in key crops. Yield10 has exclusive rights through ownership or licensing or is preparing to file patent applications covering the trait genes listed in Table 1 below.

        Under our "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops" technology platform we have identified the C3000 series of novel yield traits based on establishing new metabolic pathways in crops. We have tested our lead yield trait gene, C3003 in Camelina in both greenhouse and initial field tests and have reported results from these initial tests. We are moving this promising trait forward in additional crops including canola, soybean and rice and expect to report data once additional greenhouse tests and/or field tests have been completed and analyzed.

        Under our "T3 Platform" we have identified the C4000 series of novel yield traits and gene editing targets. We expect to progress in our C4 monocot model a select few of the C4000 series traits, global regulatory genes discovered through our T3 Platform research program which we have shown to significantly enhance photosynthesis and carbon capture in switchgrass. We are also progressing the C4003 trait gene in rice using our internal resources and we expect to report initial rice data once greenhouse tests have been completed and analyzed.

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        Table 1: Summary of our crop yield traits currently in development.

Novel Yield Trait Gene C3003

        C3003 represents the lead novel yield trait gene in our "Smart Carbon Grid for Plants" technology platform. C3003 is a scientific discovery made in one of our academic collaborations funded by ARPA-e, a division of the Department of Energy. Our academic collaborator is continuing work to characterize C3003. C3003 appears to be a very unique gene that impacts photorespiration, a biochemical pathway in C3 plants, which is responsible for significant losses in yield. Yield10 is progressing the introduction of the C3003 trait gene as well as improvements to the C3003 trait in Camelina, canola, soybean and rice, and we expect to disclose additional results from a number of these activities throughout 2017.

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        In the 2016 growing season, we conducted a small scale field test which was designed primarily to establish our Camelina Fast Field Testing platform and accelerate the generation of field data for crop trait discovery and improvement. As part of this study, we planted stable Camelina seed lines expressing C3003. In early 2017, we reported field test results showing that C3003 produced significant improvements in seed yield where the best C3003 line produced a 23 percent increase as measured by average seed weight per hectare. This result was statistically significant (p<0.05) as compared to control plants. In addition, the highest yielding line expressing the C3003 gene matured an average of six days earlier than the control plants. Expression of C3003 did not change the percentage of oil content in the seed as measured by the weight of the oil in relation to the weight of the seed.

        While expression of C3003 enabled some of the Camelina lines we tested to produce higher seed yields by weight per hectare, the individual seed size in these lines was decreased as compared to controls, likely due to a change in carbon partitioning in the plant. This reduction in seed size was expected based on data from prior greenhouse trials and Yield10 is addressing this finding with our second generation C3003 trait which is expressed specifically in the seed tissue of plants.

        We believe that the results of our 2016 field tests in Camelina are encouraging and suggest that our approach to engineering new metabolic pathways in plants has the potential to produce step-changes in crop yield. These results also illustrate that our Fast Field Testing system in Camelina may be a valuable tool for effectively screening novel yield trait genes and dynamically adapting our approach to trait development as we translate these improvements into commercially important crops.

        Based on prior greenhouse data suggesting that constitutive expression of C3003 in Camelina could increase overall seed yield, but produce this increase with the production of smaller, lighter weight seeds, we produced a second generation C3003 where the C3003 gene is expressed only in seed tissue. We believe that the reason for the smaller seeds is that the added influx of carbon produced by C3003 produces a "bottleneck" in plant metabolism that results in the production of more, but smaller seeds. In 2016, we tested second generation C3003 in Camelina in greenhouse studies. In early 2017, we reported preliminary greenhouse data showing that the second generation C3003 produced an increase in seed yield, while maintaining typical seed weight.

        Based on encouraging data produced in Camelina with first and second generation C3003, we are continuing to progress the evaluation of the C3003 gene trait in parallel in canola, soybean and rice, key target crops where step-change increases in seed yield would improve the prospects for global food security and we believe create considerable economic value.

        We are conducting additional field tests of C3003 in the 2017 growing season. In these studies, we are evaluating Camelina lines transformed with each of our first and second generation C3003 trait as well as canola lines containing the first generation C3003 trait. We plan to report preliminary data from this field test in fourth quarter 2017 once the field tests have been completed and resulting data analyzed.

        Prior to that, we expect to report results from greenhouse studies in 2017 with the first generation C3003 trait in canola. We also recently introduced the second generation C3003 trait into canola, and greenhouse data on seed yield and seed size may be available by the end of 2017 or early 2018. If the data meet our expectations, we may test second generation C3003 in canola in field tests in spring 2018.

        We are expanding our research into soybean by leveraging the capabilities and technical resources of a collaborator under an agreement in which Yield10 retains all commercial rights. This activity is underway for both the first and second generation versions of the C3003 trait. Assuming the research plan remains on track, we expect to be able to report results from initial greenhouse studies in late 2017 or early 2018.

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        We have also initiated the introduction of the first and second generation versions of the C3003 yield trait gene in rice and expect to report our observations from those studies when testing has been completed and results have been analyzed.

        We plan to leverage third party services where the resources and infrastructure are already in place to transform and test novel traits in corn lines. We believe this will enable Yield10 to cost effectively expand its capabilities and enable us to progress our corn targets at least to the stage of initial corn hybrid field results.

        We also plan to selectively partner with others for the development of different crops and/or traits. In particular we expect to progress a select few of the C4000 series traits, global regulatory genes discovered in our T3 Platform which we have shown to significantly enhance photosynthesis and carbon capture in our C4 monocot model plant switchgrass. In the meantime, we have been able to progress the C4003 trait gene in rice using our internal resources and we expect to report initial rice data as soon as it is available.

Target Crops

        Our initial work in our C3000 and C4000 series traits suggests that our technology may be applicable to a wide range of crops harvested for food and animal feed uses. We believe that if novel yield traits could be successfully developed and commercialized in any of these crops, farmers would be able to improve the productivity of their land to meet rising demand for food and feed, and significant economic value would be created.

        In considering our strategy to develop our technologies we segregate our trait genes into two classes: trait genes based on using non-plant genes to add new functionality to crops which are by definition GM; and trait genes which we may be able to deploy outside of the GM regulations, which encompasses our trait genes which are based exclusively on plant genes. We see the opportunity to deploy our trait technology in a broader set of food and feed crops many of which are not currently GM. We plan to pursue our GM trait genes in crops which are currently GM and where the economics can sustain the cost and timelines for deregulation. We are aware of the current USDA-APHIS GM crop regulation review and the reality that GM likely will remain an issue for some NGO groups regardless of the science. For our GM yield trait genes, we are targeting seed yield increases of the order of 10 to 20 percent over the current elite seed lines, increases which reflect the order of magnitude step-changes necessary to address global food security.

        The crops we are targeting for development are described below.

        Camelina or Camelina sativa is an oilseed crop in limited cultivation in North America and Europe. Camelina has received recent attention as an industrial oilseed for the production of biofuels, novel industrial lipids, and oleochemicals. In addition, its meal has been identified for development as an animal and fish feed supplement. While it is not currently a commercially significant crop, research suggests that efforts to improve seed yield, oil content and fatty acid composition, and tolerance to heat stress may expand the commercial adoption and cultivation of Camelina.

        Canola or Brassica napus is a cultivar of rapeseed which produces a higher value edible oil favored by consumers because it has a healthier fatty acid profile than corn or soybean oil. The canola crop was developed in Canada where it is primarily grown today with additional acreage grown in the U.S. Currently the vast majority of the canola grown in North America contains two seed enhancement technologies, herbicide tolerance and hybrid seed. Both Roundup Ready (Monsanto) and Liberty-Link (Bayer) varieties of canola are grown and were introduced to the market in 1990s. Approximately 22 million acres were planted in Canada and the U.S. in the 2016 growing season. Yield10 is targeting a 20 percent or greater increase in canola seed yield. With a 2016 harvest of 812 million bushels of canola (Statistics Canada) and an average farm gate price of $10.00 per bushel, a 20 percent yield

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increase in canola represents a total potential added annual value of $1.6 billion that could be shared among the players in the canola value chain.

        Soybean or Glycine max is an oilseed crop used for food, food ingredients, food additives and animal feed. The soybean can be harvested for oil used in food and industrial applications, and soybean meal is a significant source of protein for use mostly in animal feed but also for direct human consumption. Fermented soy foods include soy sauce and tempeh, and non-fermented food uses include soy milk and tofu. Soybeans are widely cultivated in North and South America, where a majority of the seed planted is genetically modified. Approximately 88 million acres of soybean were planted in the U.S. and Canada in the 2016 growing season. According to the USDA, the U.S., Brazil and Argentina grow approximately 80 percent of global soybean production. Yield10 is targeting a 20 percent or greater increase in soybean seed yield. With a 2016 U.S. harvest of 4.36 billion bushels (USDA) and an average farm gate price of $10.00 per bushel, a 20 percent yield increase in soybean represents a total potential added annual value of $8.7 billion that could be shared among the players in the soybean value chain.

        Corn is a crop grown globally and used for animal feed and for producing starch which can be used as a raw material for producing food ingredients and food additives, as well as for use in the production of paper, packaging materials and other items. GM maize was grown for the first time in the U.S. and Canada in 1997. Currently, about 80 percent of maize/corn production in the U.S. is genetically modified. It was estimated that more than 90 million acres of corn were planted in North America in the 2016 growing season. The traits commonly used in today's corn cultivars provide insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. In many GM seeds sold today, both of these traits are expressed (or "stacked" which refers to the practice of adding multiple traits to an elite plant line as a strategy to protect yield). Europe has limited production of GM corn, where Spain is a leading producer of GM corn. In this case, the most widely used GM trait (Bt) protects against the corn borer insect. Special protocols must be followed in Europe to avoid mixing of GM corn with conventional corn. Corn has the more efficient C4 photosynthesis system and Yield10 is targeting a 10 percent yield increase in corn. With a 2016 U.S. harvest of 15.2 billion bushels and an average per bushel price of $3.50, a 10 percent yield increase in corn represents a total potential added annual value of $5.32 billion that could be shared among the players in the corn value chain.

        Rice is the staple food for over 50 percent of the global population. World crop production of rice was estimated at approximately 480 million metric tons in 2016. Rice is grown in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Rice cultivation takes place primarily in China, India and Southeast Asia. Typically, improvements to rice yield have been achieved through traditional plant breeding approaches. Genetic engineering approaches are being investigated to protect rice from weeds and insect pests. Additional biotechnology approaches are being taken to improve the nutritional value of rice. While Yield10 has not established a target for yield improvement in rice, early work is underway to evaluate the potential of our technologies in this globally important food crop.

        Forage crops are grown expressly for biomass used for feeding livestock. Typical forage crops include both annual and perennial crops such as various grasses, silage corn, alfalfa and sorghum. Biotechnology traits have been previously introduced into silage corn and alfalfa. Other forage crops could be amenable to gene editing strategies to increase biomass yield per acre. We believe that our technology and traits that increase biomass may have application to forage crops.

Regulatory Requirements

        Since the first successful commercialization of a biotechnology-derived crop in the 1990s, many new GM crop varieties have been developed and made available to U.S. farmers and farmers worldwide. U.S. farmers have rapidly adopted many of these new GM varieties, so that in 2016, 92 percent of the corn, 93 percent of the cotton, and 94 percent of the soybeans planted in the U.S.

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were varieties produced through genetic engineering. A significant percentage of the production of other crops, such as alfalfa, papaya and sugar beet, are also biotech-derived.

        Genetically modified crops are subject to a significant amount of regulation in the U.S. and around the world. Field tests and field trials of GM crops need to ensure that traits in development do not escape or mix with native plants. The U.S. Government agencies responsible for oversight of the products of modern agricultural biotechnology are the United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Depending on its characteristics, a product may be subject to the jurisdiction of one or more of these agencies under the federal government's 1986 Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (most recently updated in January 2017). Regulatory officials from the three agencies regularly communicate and exchange information to ensure that any safety or regulatory issues that may arise are appropriately resolved within the scope of authority afforded to each agency under their respective statutes. Other environmental laws or regulations also may be implicated, depending on the specific product.

        Within USDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for protecting agricultural plants from pests, diseases and noxious weeds. Under the Plant Protection Act, USDA-APHIS has regulatory oversight over products of modern biotechnology that could pose such a risk. Accordingly, USDA-APHIS regulates organisms and products that are known or suspected to be plant pests or to pose a plant pest risk, including those that have been altered or produced through genetic engineering. These are called "regulated articles." USDA-APHIS regulates the import, handling, interstate movement, and release into the environment of regulated organisms that are products of biotechnology, including organisms undergoing confined experimental use or field trials. Regulated articles are reviewed to ensure that, under the proposed conditions of use, they do not present a plant pest risk through ensuring appropriate handling, confinement and disposal. The developer may then petition USDA-APHIS for a determination of non-regulated status for the article. If the agency determines that the GE plant is unlikely to present a greater plant pest risk than its unmodified counterpart, the new crop will no longer be subject to the permitting and other regulatory processes that are overseen by USDA-APHIS (i.e., it will no longer be treated as a potential plant pest).

        In June 2017, we submitted an "Am I Regulated?" letter to USDA-APHIS's Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) to confirm that our genome-edited Camelina plant line developed using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology for increased oil content does not meet the definition of a regulated article under 7 CFR Part 340 regulations. Together with our wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, Metabolix Oilseeds, Inc., we developed the genome edited Camelina line. Researchers used the CRISPR genome editing tool to inactivate an enzyme expected to increase seed oil content in Camelina, a trait we have designated as C3008. There are three copies of this gene in the Camelina genome, and complete editing of all copies was achieved. This trait may have further applications when used in combination with other traits that we are developing that are expected to increase seed oil content, including C3007.

        Subsequently, depending on the intended use of the non-regulated genetically engineered plant, the developer may need to work within separate EPA or FDA oversight rules before commercial introduction of the final product. EPA primarily regulates products of biotechnology that are intended for use as pesticides, under the authorities granted to EPA by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). FDA is the agency responsible for overseeing the safety of biotechnology-derived products that are intended to be used as human or animal food, or that may end up in the food supply. Since 1992, FDA has had in place a voluntary consultation process for developers of bioengineered food, and final agency decisions and other information from these Biotechnology Consultations are made publicly available by FDA. Consultations are data-intensive and examine the new food product's safety and nutritional profile, among other issues. Generally, FDA has found that

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such food products do not pose unique health risks to humans or animals, but if a novel allergen or other distinction from the conventional food is present in the new plant variety, the agency may require specific label statements on the product to ensure that consumers are made aware of material differences between GE and conventional versions.

        In Canada, the largest producer of GM canola, GM crops and the food products into which they are incorporated also are regulated by multiple government agencies under a federal framework for the regulation of biotechnology products that is similar to the U.S. system. First, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the lead agency for ensuring that a new agricultural biotechnology crop will not pose new risks to Canadian plants, animals and other agricultural commodities. The CFIA's Plant Biosafety Office (PBO) is responsible for conducting environmental assessments of biotechnology-derived plants. Authority for the PBO includes both approving confined field trials with the GM crop through permits and authorizing their "unconfined release" as a first step towards commercialization.

        Second, under the Food and Drugs Act and related regulations, Health Canada is responsible for reviewing a pre-market safety assessment that must be submitted by the manufacturer or importer of a "novel food," a term of art which includes GM or biotechnology-derived foods. The safety assessment should provide assurances that the novel food is safe when prepared or consumed according to its intended use. A multi-disciplinary team of experts from Health Canada will evaluate the data and information about the novel food and make a determination regarding whether it can be sold in Canada, and whether any restrictions are warranted under applicable law or the product's safety profile. Health Canada's final decision documents regarding the safety of these novel foods are made publicly available by the government.

        As the lead agency for public health and safety, Health Canada also works in conjunction with the CFIA on food labeling oversight when it has identified a potential health or safety issues with a food that could be mitigated through labeling or other disclosures. For example, if the biotechnology-derived food contains a new allergen that is otherwise not present in the conventional version of the food, then specific label statements will be required to alert consumers to that important health information. However, the CFIA has primary oversight over non-health issues related to food labeling, packaging and advertising. Accordingly, the CFIA is the lead agency for ensuring that food labeling and advertising meet the legal requirements of the Food and Drugs Act, and that labeling representations do not create a potential risk of fraud or consumer confusion and are compliant with Canada's voluntary disclosure standard for genetically engineered food ingredients.

        Finally, Environment Canada is available to serve as a regulatory "safety net" if a novel product does not naturally fall within the jurisdiction of the CFIA, Health Canada, or the Pest Management Regulatory Agency that oversees pesticide products.

        Our work involving the development, greenhouse testing and field testing of novel yield trait genes in crop plants requires certain government and municipal permits and we must ensure compliance with all applicable regulations including regulations relating to GM crops. With laboratories and greenhouse in both the U.S. and Canada, we are subject to regulations governing the shipment of seeds and other plant material (including GM seeds and GM plant material) between our facilities in the U.S. and Canada, including USDA-APHIS permits for the import and export of plant materials that could pose a risk to domestic agriculture.

License Agreement with the University of Massachusetts

        Pursuant to a license agreement with the University of Massachusetts ("UMASS") dated as of June 30, 2015, we have an exclusive, worldwide license under certain patents and patent applications to make, have made, use, offer for sale, sell, have sold and import any transgenic plant seed or plant grown there from or transgenic plant material developed for sale to a farmer or grower for planting in the field, which transgenic plant seed or plant grown therefrom or transgenic plant material is covered by, embodies or is derived from (in whole or in part) one or more issued or pending claims of the licensed patents or patent applications. The licensed patent rights include issued patents covering our yield trait gene C3003.

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        We are required to use diligent efforts to develop licensed products throughout the field of use and to introduce licensed products into the commercial market. In that regard, we are obligated to fulfill certain development and regulatory milestones relating to C3003, including completion of multi-site field demonstrations of a crop species in which C3003 has been introduced, and filing for regulatory approval of a crop species in which C3003 has been introduced within a specified period. Our failure to achieve any milestone provided for under the agreement would, if we are unable to reach agreement with UMASS as to a potential adjustment of the applicable milestone, give UMASS the right to terminate the agreement, following a notice period.

        We are obligated to pay UMASS milestone payments relating to any regulatory filings and approvals covered by the agreement, royalties on any sales of licensed products following regulatory approval, as well as a percentage of any sublicense income related to the licensed products.

        We may terminate the agreement at any time upon 90 days prior written notice to UMASS. Either party may terminate for material breach immediately upon written notice for a breach that is not cured within 60 days after receiving written notice of the breach. In addition, UMASS may terminate this agreement with respect to certain patent rights immediately upon written notice in the event we contest the validity or enforceability of such patent rights.

Agricultural Industry Landscape

        Following advances in biotechnology in the 1970s through early 1990s, the first genetically modified crops were commercially introduced in the U.S. in the years 1994 and 1995. Today, the U.S. leads the world in the adoption of GM crops in terms of crop value and acreage planted. GM crops have had both their supporters and their detractors over the years. Consumer sentiment including concerns about the safety of GM crops have limited the introduction and adoption of GM crops in Europe. However, recent studies by the National Academy of Science continue to support the 20 year history of safe use of GM crops.

        The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), an industry research group, reported that 444 million acres worldwide were planted with GM crops in 2015, the most recent year where data is available. The planting of GM crops is centered in the Americas with North America at approximately 45.5 percent of the acres and Latin America at approximately 43 percent. China and India follow with approximately 8 percent and the balance of the total worldwide GM crop acreage in 2015 was planted in European Union and the rest of world. The primary GM crops in the U.S. are corn, soybean, cotton and sugar beet. In Canada, the oilseed crop canola is the primary GM crop. Cotton is the primary GM crop grown in India and China.

        In contrast to the Americas, the European Union has been relatively slow to adopt GM crops and has relied heavily on plant breeding programs for capturing crop yield improvements over the last 20 years. In 2013, Spain was the largest producer of GM crops in Europe, based on cultivation of GM corn representing approximately 20 percent of the country's crop that year. Certain GM crops have been approved for cultivation in some European countries, while other countries have imposed outright bans on cultivation of GM crops.

        According to the market research firm, Research and Markets, the total global seed business was estimated at $53 billion in 2014 and is projected to grow to more than $100 billion by 2022. According to an ISAAA report, the global GM seed business represented a $15.3 billion market in 2015. The traits being commercialized today by the agricultural industry mainly address crop protection, which involves preventing crop damage by weeds, insects and other pests that lower expected crop yield. As technology has advanced, "trait stacking," or the practice of adding multiple traits to an elite plant line, has become commonplace as a strategy to protect yield. As the industry has developed, the practice of inter-licensing traits between research and development driven seed companies has led to a proliferation of branded seed products on the market today.

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        The GM seed business is dominated by large multinational companies and their subsidiaries including BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont Pioneer, Monsanto, Syngenta and AgReliant. These companies have significant resources, experience and track records of successfully developing, testing and commercializing high performing seed lines as well as new traits for GM crops. They offer farmers conventional and biotechnology seeds as well as crop protection chemicals, biologicals, fertilizers and other products and technologies aimed at supporting the on-farm efficiency of managing crops in the field as well as managing the overall cost of crop production to successful harvest. Many of these companies are involved in the current sector consolidation with the Dow/ DuPont merger and the acquisition of Syngenta by ChemChina nearing completion and the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer ongoing.

        Privately owned, U.S. retail seed companies play a key role in the industry by developing, marketing and selling high performing seed to U.S. farmers. These companies include Beck's Hybrids and Stine Seed. These companies have capabilities in both biotechnology and plant breeding. They source traits from the multinational companies and input these traits into elite plant germplasm to produce seeds optimized for a variety of soil, climate and field conditions. Both companies offer a broad arrange of GM corn and soybean products to their customers.

        Recent advances in biotechnology including gene editing have led to the formation of companies focusing on yield trait discovery, biologicals for pest control, agbiome strategies and precision agriculture. There are startups, privately held and publicly traded companies involved in this space. Such companies include AgBiome, Arcadia Biosciences, Benson Hill Biosystems, Cibus, Evogene, Indigo, Kaiima, and Marrone Bio Innovation, many of which have greater resources and experience than we have.

Intellectual Property

        Our continued success depends in large part on our proprietary technology. As of May 31, 2017, we owned or held exclusive rights to 10 pending patent applications worldwide related to advanced technologies for increasing yield in crops. Our portfolio of patent applications includes plant science technologies we have in-licensed globally and exclusively from The University of Massachusetts and North Carolina State University related to the yield trait gene C3003 and other advanced technologies based on advanced metabolic engineering methods to improve carbon capture and selectively control carbon partitioning in plants.

        We continue to seek, develop and evaluate new technologies and related intellectual property that might enhance our Company's business strategy, industry position or deployment options.

Employees

        As of May 31, 2017, we had 20 full-time employees. Of those employees, 16 were in research and development. Among our staff, 8 hold Ph.D.'s and 12 hold masters' or bachelors' degrees in their respective disciplines. Our technical staff has expertise in the following areas: plant genetics, plant biology, microbial genetics, bioinformatics, metabolic engineering and systems biology. Our headquarters are located in Massachusetts, and we maintain a research and development facility, including greenhouse facilities, in Saskatoon, Canada. None of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

        The following summary of our capital stock is based on certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws and on the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable provisions our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the DGCL. For information on how to obtain copies of such documents, please refer to the heading "Where You Can Find More Information" in this prospectus.

        Our authorized capital stock consists of 250,000,000 shares, with a par value of $0.01 per share, of which:

•

255,000,000 shares are designated as Common Stock; and



•

5,000,000 shares are designated as undesignated preferred stock.

        On May 24, 2017, our Annual Meeting of Stockholders approved an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, authorizing a reverse stock split of our Common Stock. A one-for-ten ratio for the reverse stock split was subsequently approved by our board of directors and the reverse stock split took effect on May 30, 2017. As a result of the reverse stock split, every ten shares of our Common Stock were automatically combined and converted into one issued and outstanding share of our Common Stock, with no change in the par value per share. All share amounts, per share amounts and share prices in this prospectus supplement have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split.

        As of May 31, 2017, we had outstanding 2,868,265 shares of Common Stock, held of record by 42 stockholders, and no shares of preferred stock. In addition, on May 31, 2017, we had outstanding options to acquire 626,341 shares of Common Stock and outstanding unvested restricted stock units covering 14,367 shares of Common Stock.

Common Stock

        The holders of our Common Stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of outstanding shares of Common Stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors out of assets legally available. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preference of any then outstanding shares of preferred stock. Holders of Common Stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our Common Stock.

Preferred Stock

        Our certificate of incorporation, as amended and restated, authorizes it to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of $0.01 par value undesignated preferred stock. Our board of directors may designate the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preference, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of any series. As of May 31, 2017, no preferred stock was issued or outstanding.

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Warrants

        As of May 31, 2017, we had warrants outstanding to purchase 393,300 shares of our Common Stock.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

        Certain provisions of the DGCL and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of our company. These provisions, which are summarized below, may discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and encourage anyone seeking to acquire control of our company to first negotiate with our board of directors. These provisions might also have the effect of preventing changes in our management and could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. However, we believe that the advantages gained by protecting our ability to negotiate with any unsolicited and potentially unfriendly acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging such proposals, because, among other reasons, the negotiation of such proposals could result in improving their terms.

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaw Provisions

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of our company or preventing changes in our management, including the following:

•

Issuance of Undesignated Preferred Stock.  Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with rights, preferences and privileges designated from time to time by our board of directors without further action by stockholders. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences and sinking fund terms, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of Common Stock.



•

Size of the Board of Directors and Filling Vacancies.  The number of directors constituting our board of directors may be set only by resolution adopted by a majority vote of our entire board of directors. Any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of the board of directors, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office, even if less than a quorum.



•

Classified Board.  Our board of directors is divided into three classes of directors, with staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms.



•

No Cumulative Voting.  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws do not permit cumulative voting in the election of directors. Cumulative voting allows a stockholder to vote a portion, or all of its shares for one or more candidates. The absence of cumulative voting makes it more difficult for a minority stockholder to gain a seat.



•

Removal of Directors.  Directors can only be removed by our stockholders for cause and removal of a director will require a 75% stockholder vote.



•

No Written Consent of Stockholders.  All stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting. Stockholders may not take action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. The inability of stockholders to take action by written consent

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means that a stockholder would need to wait until the next annual or special meeting to bring business before the stockholders for a vote.

•

Special Meetings of Stockholders.  Special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by our board of directors acting pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office. Only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of our stockholders.



•

Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations.  Our amended and restated bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders. These procedures provide that notice must be given in writing not later than the close of business on the 90^th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120^th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year's annual meeting. These procedures may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempt to obtain control of us.



•

Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.  Any amendment, repeal or modification of certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws requires a 75% stockholder vote. Provisions requiring such supermajority vote include, among other things, any amendment, repeal or modification of the provisions relating to the classification of our board of directors, the requirement that stockholder actions be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of our stockholders and the designated parties entitled to call a special meeting of our stockholders.

Section 203 of the DGCL

        We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. In general, Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a "business combination" with an "interested stockholder" for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless it satisfies one of the following conditions:

•

the transaction is approved by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder;



•

upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced; or

        In general, Section 203 defines "business combination" to include the following:

•

at or subsequent to such time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, the business combination was approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders by at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.



•

any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;



•

any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition of the assets of the corporation with an aggregate market value of 10% or more of either the aggregate market value of all assets of the corporation on a consolidated basis or the aggregate market value of all of the outstanding stock of the corporation involving the interested stockholder;

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•

subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;



•

any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock or any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or



•

the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits by or through the corporation.

        In general, Section 203 defines an "interested stockholder" as an entity or person who, together with the stockholder's affiliates and associates (as defined in Section 203), beneficially owns, or within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

Treatment of Options Upon Change of Control

        In general, under the terms of our Stock Option and Incentive Plans and our /Stock Issuance Plan and our executive employment agreements, in the event of certain change in control transactions, if the successor corporation does not assume our outstanding options or issue replacement awards, or if an optionholder's employment is involuntarily terminated in connection with such change in control, the vesting of the options outstanding under such plans will accelerate.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

        The transfer agent and registrar for our Common Stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent's telephone number is (718) 921-8200.

Stock Exchange Listing

        Our Common Stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol YTEN.

MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL TAX CONSEQUENCES FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS

        The following discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal tax consequences relating to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Common Stock by non-U.S. holders (as defined below). This discussion is based upon the provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, rulings and judicial decisions, all as in effect on the date hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively, so as to result in U.S. federal income and estate tax consequences different from those discussed below. There can be no assurance that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, will agree with the statements herein.

        A "U.S. holder" means a beneficial owner of our Common Stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

•

a citizen or individual resident of the United States;



•

a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;



•

an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

        A "non-U.S. holder" means a beneficial owner of our Common Stock that is neither a U.S. holder nor a partnership (including an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes).

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•

a trust, if (1) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the trust's administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of its substantial decisions, or (2) a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person is in effect under the relevant Treasury regulations with respect to such trust.

        This discussion deals only with our Common Stock held as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all of the U.S. federal income and estate tax consequences that may be relevant to a non-U.S. holder in light of such holder's particular circumstances, nor does it deal with special situations, such as:

•

tax consequences to non-U.S. holders who may be subject to special tax treatment, such as banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, partnerships or other entities treated as pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, certain former citizens or residents of the United States, "controlled foreign corporations", "passive foreign investment companies", corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax, tax-exempt entities, common trust funds, certain trusts, hybrid entities, foreign governments, international organizations and dealers or traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities holdings;



•

tax consequences to persons holding our Common Stock as part of a hedging, integrated, constructive sale or conversion transaction or a straddle;



•

any gift tax consequences;



•

alternative minimum tax consequences, if any; or



•

any U.S. state or local or foreign tax consequences.

        If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our Common Stock, the tax treatment of a partner or member in the partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner or member and the activities of the partnership. Prospective investors that are entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes should consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income and estate tax considerations to them and their partners or members of holding our Common Stock.

        THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT A LEGAL OPINION AND CANNOT BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF AVOIDING PENALTIES THAT MAY BE IMPOSED UNDER THE CODE OR APPLICABLE U.S. STATE OR LOCAL LAWS. IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THE ACQUISITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK, YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISOR CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU IN LIGHT OF YOUR OWN PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES, AS

        WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES ARISING UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY OTHER TAXING JURISDICTION, THE EFFECT OF ANY CHANGES IN APPLICABLE TAX LAW, AND YOUR ENTITLEMENT TO BENEFITS UNDER AN APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.

Dividends on Common Stock

        We do not expect to declare or pay any dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. If we make a distribution of cash or other property (other than certain pro rata distributions of our Common Stock) in respect of our Common Stock, the distribution will be treated as a dividend to the extent it is paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). If the amount of a distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, such excess first will be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the non-U.S. holder's adjusted tax basis in our Common Stock, and thereafter will be treated as capital gain. Subject to the discussion of backup withholding and FATCA below, distributions treated as

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dividends on our Common Stock held by a non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30%, or at a lower rate if provided by an applicable income tax treaty and the non-U.S. holder has provided the documentation required to claim benefits under such treaty. Generally, to claim the benefits of an income tax treaty, a non-U.S. holder will be required to provide a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or appropriate substitute or successor form) certifying its entitlement to benefits under the treaty.

        If, however, a dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States by the non-U.S. holder (and, if an applicable tax treaty so provides, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States), the dividend will not be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax (so long as the non-U.S. holder has provided the appropriate documentation, generally an IRS Form W-8ECI (or appropriate substitute or successor form), to the withholding agent), but the non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in respect of the dividend on a net income basis at regular U.S. federal income tax rates in substantially the same manner as U.S. persons. Dividends received by a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and which are effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business (and, if an applicable tax treaty so provides, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States) may also be subject to a branch profits tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower rate if provided by an applicable tax treaty).

        A non-U.S. holder that is eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax under an income tax treaty may obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for a refund together with the required information with the IRS.

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Stock

        Subject to the discussion of backup withholding and FATCA below, a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax (including withholding tax) on gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Common Stock unless:

•

such non-U.S. holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of such sale, exchange or disposition, and certain other conditions are met;



•

such gain is effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. holder of a trade or business in the United States (and, if an applicable tax treaty so provides, is attributable to a permanent establishment or a fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States); or



•

we are or have been a "United States real property holding corporation", or a USRPHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year testing period ending on the date of such disposition and the non-U.S. holder's holding period of our Common Stock, and certain other conditions are met.

        Gain realized by a non-U.S. holder that is effectively connected with such non-U.S. holder's conduct of a trade or business in the United States generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at regular U.S. federal income tax rates in substantially the same manner as a U.S. person (except as provided by an applicable tax treaty). In addition, if such non-U.S. holder is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it may also be subject to a branch profits tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower rate if provided by an applicable tax treaty).

        Generally, a corporation is a USRPHC if the fair market value of its "United States real property interests" equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide (domestic and foreign) real property interests and its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business (all as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes). For this purpose, real property interests generally include land, improvements and associated personal property. We believe that we are not currently a

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USRPHC for this purpose. If we were a USRPHC during the applicable testing period, non-U.S. holders owning (directly or indirectly) more than 5% of our Common Stock generally would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the gain realized on the sale, exchange or disposition of our Common Stock, which would be treated as income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business (and taxable as discussed above). Even if we were a USRPHC during the testing period, U.S. federal income tax would not apply to gain realized on the sale, exchange or disposition of our Common Stock by a non-U.S. holder that owns (directly or indirectly) 5% or less of our Common Stock so long as our Common Stock is "regularly traded on an established securities market" within the meaning of the applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. Prospective investors should be aware that no assurance can be provided that our Common Stock will be so regularly traded when a non-U.S. holder sells our Common Stock.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

        Dividends and proceeds from the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Common Stock are potentially subject to backup withholding at the applicable rate. In general, backup withholding will not apply to dividends on our Common Stock paid by us or our paying agents, in their capacities as such, to a non-U.S. holder if the holder has provided the required certification that it is a non-U.S. holder, such as by providing an IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8ECI (or appropriate substitute or successor form) and neither we nor our paying agent has actual knowledge (or reason to know) that the holder is a U.S. holder that is not an exempt recipient.

        Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a non-U.S. holder's U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished on a timely basis to the IRS.

        Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the information reporting and backup withholding rules to them.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

        The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (generally referred to as "FATCA"), when applicable, will impose a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on certain payments to "foreign financial institutions" (which are broadly defined for this purpose and generally include investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of certain interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied. Payments subject to withholding tax under FATCA include dividends on common stock of U.S. corporations (such as our Common Stock), and beginning on January 1, 2017, gross proceeds from sales or redemptions of such common stock. Under certain circumstances, a non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of amounts withheld. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify the requirements described in this paragraph. Non-U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the potential application and impact of these requirements based upon their particular circumstances.

U.S. Federal Estate Tax

        Common stock owned or treated as owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident of the United States (as specifically defined for U.S. federal estate tax purposes) at the time of death will be included in the individual's gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes and may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise.

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PRIVATE PLACEMENT TRANSACTION

        In a concurrent private placement (the "Private Placement Transaction"), we are selling to purchasers of our Common Stock in this offering warrants (the "Series A-1 Warrants") to purchase 570,784 shares of our Common Stock.

        The Series A-1 Warrants and the shares of our Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants are not being registered under the Securities Act, are not being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and are being offered pursuant to the exemption provided in Section 4(a)(2) under the Securities Act and Rule 506(b) promulgated thereunder. Accordingly, purchasers may only sell shares of Common Stock issued upon exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the resale of those shares, an exemption under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or another applicable exemption under the Securities Act.

        We will be required to file a registration statement on Form S-1 within 60 calendar days of the issuance of the Series A-1 Warrants to provide for the resale of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants and will be obligated to use our commercially reasonable efforts to keep such registration statement effective until the earlier of (i) the date on which the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants may be sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, as amended, or (ii) the date on which all of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants have been sold under the registration statement or pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any other rule of similar effect.

        Each Series A-1 Warrant will be exercisable on the six month anniversary of the date of its issuance (the "Initial Exercise Date") at an exercise price of $5.04 per share, subject to adjustment, and will remain exercisable for six years from the date it becomes exercisable, but not thereafter. A holder of Series A-1 Warrants, other than Mr. Schuler and entities affiliated with him, will not have the right to exercise any portion of its warrants if the holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise (the "Beneficial Ownership Limitation"); provided, however, that upon 61 days' prior notice to the Company, the holder may increase or decrease the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, provided further that in no event shall the Beneficial Ownership Limitation exceed 9.99% and any increase in the Beneficial Ownership Limitation will not be effective until 61 days following notice of such increase from the holder to us. In addition, the holders of the Series A-1 Warrants will have the right to participate in any rights offering or distribution of assets (such as a spinoff) together with the holders of our Common Stock on an as-exercised basis.

        The exercise price and number of the shares of our Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants will be subject to adjustment for stock splits, reverse splits, and similar capital transactions, as described in the Series A-1 Warrants. If at any time after the six-month anniversary of the date of issuance there is no effective registration statement registering, or no current prospectus available for, the resale of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrants, then the holders have the right to exercise the Series A-1 Warrants on a cashless basis at such time.

        Under certain circumstances, the Company has the right to call for cancellation all or any portion of each Series A-1 Warrant for which a notice of exercise has not yet been delivered for consideration equal to $0.001 per share of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrant. The call right must be exercised ratably among the holders based on each holder's initial purchase of Series A-1 Warrants, and it may be invoked by the Company at any time after the date on which the Series A-1 Warrants become exercisable if (i) the volume weighted average price for each of twenty consecutive trading days (such period commencing after the date on which the Series A-1 Warrants

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become exercisable and referred to as the measurement period) exceeds $10.00 (subject to adjustment for forward and reverse stock splits, recapitalizations, stock dividends and the like after the issuance date), (ii) the average daily volume for such measurement period exceeds $125,000 per trading day, (iii) the holder is not in possession of any information that constitutes, or might constitute, material non-public information which was provided by the Company and (iv) either (a) there is an effective registration statement pursuant to which the holder is permitted to utilize the prospectus thereunder to resell all of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrant or (b) all of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Series A-1 Warrant may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information required under Rule 144 and without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions. The Company must deliver an irrevocable written notice to a holder to invoke the call right and the holder will have ten trading days to exercise its Series A-1 Warrant prior to cancellation.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

        Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., which we refer to herein as the placement agent, has agreed to act as our exclusive placement agent in connection with this offering subject to the terms and conditions of the investment banking agreement dated June 19, 2017. The placement agent is not purchasing or selling any of the shares of our Common Stock offered by this prospectus supplement, nor is it required to arrange the purchase or sale of any specific number or dollar amount of shares of our Common Stock, but has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to arrange for the sale of all of the shares of our Common Stock offered hereby. Therefore, we will enter into a securities purchase agreement directly with investors in connection with this offering and we may not sell the entire amount of shares of our Common Stock offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement. We will make offers only to a limited number of qualified institutional buyers and institutional accredited investors. Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. is also acting as placement agent for the Private Placement Transaction.

        We have agreed to indemnify the placement agent against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments the placement agent may be required to make in respect thereof.

Fees and Expenses

        We have agreed to pay the placement agent a placement agent's fee equal to 8% of the aggregate purchase price of the shares of our Common Stock sold in this offering. Jack W. Schuler, an existing stockholder, and entities affiliated with him have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 285,392 shares of our Common Stock in this offering. The placement agent will receive a fee of 3% of the aggregate purchase price of the shares of our Common Stock sold to Mr. Schuler and entities affiliated with him in this offering.

        The following table shows the per share and total cash placement agent's fees we will pay to the placement agent in connection with the sale of the shares of our Common Stock offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, assuming the purchase of all of the shares offered hereby and that an aggregate of 285,392 of the shares are purchased by Mr. Schuler and entities affiliated with him.

        We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding the placement agent fees, will be approximately $140,000.

        We have also agreed that if within six months following the closing of this offering we propose to effect a further financing using an underwriter or placement agent with investors other than those specified in the investment banking agreement dated June 19, 2017, we will offer to the placement agent a five day right of first refusal to act as co-lead placement agent or co-lead underwriter in such financing.

        The placement agent may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act, and any commissions received by it and any profit realized on the resale of the shares sold by it while acting as principal might be deemed to be underwriting discounts or

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commissions under the Securities Act. As an underwriter, the placement agent would be required to comply with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act and Rule 10b-5 and Regulation M under the Exchange Act. These rules and regulations may limit the timing of purchases and sales of shares by the placement agent acting as principal. Under these rules and regulations, the placement agent:

•

may not engage in any stabilization activity in connection with our securities; and



•

may not bid for or purchase any of our securities or attempt to induce any person to purchase any of our securities, other than as permitted under the Exchange Act, until it has completed its participation in the distribution.

Discretionary Accounts

        The placement agent does not intend to confirm sales of the securities offered hereby to any accounts over which it has discretionary authority.

Listing

        Our shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol YTEN.

Other Relationships

        The placement agent and its affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions. We have not paid the placement agent any compensation in the 180 days prior to the date of this prospectus supplement, and we have no current arrangements or expectation to pay the placement agent any compensation (other than in connection with this offering and the concurrent private placement) within the next 90 days.

LEGAL MATTERS

        Certain legal matters relating to the issuance of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., Boston, Massachusetts. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP has acted as counsel for the placement agent.

EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements of Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. as of December 31, 2016, and for the year then ended, incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 have been audited by RSM US LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report thereon (which expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company's ability to continue as a going concern), incorporated herein by reference, and have been incorporated in this Prospectus and Registration Statement in reliance upon such report and upon authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

        The financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company's ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

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PROSPECTUS

YIELD10 BIOSCIENCE, INC.

$25,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Subscription Rights

Units

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        This prospectus relates to common stock, preferred stock, warrants and subscription rights that we may sell from time to time in one or more offerings up to a total public offering price of $25,000,000 on terms to be determined at the time of sale, which securities may be sold either individually or in units. We will provide specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you invest. This prospectus may not be used to offer and sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement for those securities.

        Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "YTEN."

        These securities may be sold directly by us, through dealers or agents designated from time to time, to or through underwriters or through a combination of these methods. See "Plan of Distribution" in this prospectus. We may also describe the plan of distribution for any particular offering of these securities in any applicable prospectus supplement. If any agents, underwriters or dealers are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, we will disclose their names and the nature of our arrangements with them in a prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive from any such sale will also be included in a prospectus supplement.

        As of March 20, 2017, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates, computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold or the average bid and asked price of such common equity on that date, was approximately $3,833,886, based on 28,402,471 shares of outstanding common stock, of which 10,361,855 were held by non-affiliates. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75.0 million. We have not offered any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the 12 calendar months prior to and including the date of this prospectus.

        Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See "Risk Factors" on page 4 of this prospectus. We may include additional risk factors in an applicable prospectus supplement under the heading "Risk Factors." You should review that section of the prospectus supplement for a discussion of matters that investors in our securities should consider.

        Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

        Our principal executive office is at 19 Presidential Way, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801, and our telephone number is (617) 583-1700. The date of this prospectus is April 12, 2017.

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        YOU SHOULD RELY ONLY ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, ANY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT OR ANY DOCUMENT TO WHICH WE HAVE REFERRED YOU. WE HAVE NOT AUTHORIZED ANYONE ELSE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION THAT IS DIFFERENT. THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT MAY BE USED ONLY WHERE IT IS LEGAL TO SELL THESE SECURITIES. THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS OR ANY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT IS CURRENT ONLY AS OF THE DATE ON THE FRONT OF THESE DOCUMENTS.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

        This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a "shelf" registration process. Under this shelf process, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total public offering price of $25,000,000.

        This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the securities being offered and the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information" carefully before making an investment decision.

        Unless the context otherwise requires, in this prospectus, "Yield10," "the Company," "we," "us," "our" and similar names refer to Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement (including any document incorporated by reference herein or therein) contain statements with respect to the Company which constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates" or other comparable terms. These forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning potential future collaborations and objectives for research and development, product development, and commercialization of current and future products. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed in "Risk Factors" in any prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein.

        We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We disclaim any obligation, except as specifically required by law and the rules of the SEC, to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in company expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

        You should read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents that we reference herein and therein and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement is accurate as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus or such prospectus supplement only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may change. We may not update these forward-looking statements, even though our situation may change in the future, unless we have obligations under the Federal securities laws to update and disclose material developments related to previously disclosed information. We qualify all of the information presented in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, and particularly our forward-looking statements, by these cautionary statements.

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ABOUT YIELD10 BIOSCIENCE, INC.

Overview

        Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is an agricultural bioscience company focusing on the development of new technologies to enable step-change increases in crop yield to enhance global food security. According to a United Nations report, food production must be increased by over 70 percent in the next 35 years to feed the growing global population, which is expected to increase from 7 billion to more than 9.6 billion by 2050. During that time period, there will be a reduction in available arable land as a result of infrastructure growth and increased pressure on scarce water resources. Harvestable food production per acre and per growing season must be increased to meet this demand.

        Yield10 is using two proprietary advanced biotechnology trait gene discovery platforms to improve fundamental crop yield through enhanced photosynthetic carbon capture and increased carbon utilization efficiency to increase seed yield. These platforms are based on the principle that plants which capture and utilize carbon more efficiently will enable more robust crops capable of increased seed yield. Yield10 is working to develop, translate and demonstrate the commercial value of new genetically engineered yield trait genes in major crops and to identify additional genome editing targets for improved crop performance in several key food and feed crops, including canola, soybean, rice and corn. Yield10 Bioscience is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and has an additional agricultural science facility with greenhouses in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

        Yield10 was founded as Metabolix, Inc. in 1992 and originally focused on redirecting carbon flow in living systems to produce bioplastics and biobased chemicals. In 1997, Metabolix started a crop science research program with the intent to produce the microbial bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate ("PHB") in high concentration in the seeds of oilseed crops or in the leaves of biomass crops where it acts as an additional carbon sink or carbon store. As we made progress on our crop program, we learned that the rate of carbon supply from photosynthesis was a bottleneck and we initiated a series of exploratory programs to develop new technologies to fundamentally increase the plants' ability to fix and capture more carbon. These early research programs resulted in the establishment of our crop yield trait gene discovery platforms and the identification of a series of promising proprietary yield trait genes.

        Based on encouraging early results from these gene discovery programs, we refocused our crop science efforts to yield improvement in major food and feed crops in 2015 and rebranded the effort as Yield10 Bioscience. In 2016, we sold our biopolymers assets and restructured the Company around our crop science mission. In January 2017, we completed this transition and changed the name of the company to Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. We are developing proprietary, breakthrough plant biotechnologies to improve crop productivity and seed yield based on two proprietary discovery platforms:

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the "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops Platform,"—in which we are working to eliminate bottlenecks in plant photosynthesis and carbon metabolism by harnessing new metabolic capabilities from non-plant systems including microbes and algae; and



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the "T3 Platform,"—in which we have identified three powerful global regulator genes in plants which control complex regulatory networks and gene cascades resulting in step-change increases in photosynthetic carbon fixation and biomass yields. Molecular genomic analysis of high yielding plants developed using these genes has identified a series of additional crop trait gene targets. Genetic engineering of this new series of crop trait gene targets can be accomplished using only DNA sequences from the crop target species or through genome editing potentially reducing regulatory costs and timelines.

        In our work to date, our team has demonstrated step-change yield increases in Camelina seed production and in switchgrass biomass production. We are currently progressing the development of our

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lead yield trait genes in canola, soybean, rice and corn to provide step-change crop yield solutions for enhancing global food security.

        With these two platforms, we have established a series of proprietary trait genes to enhance carbon dioxide capture and fixation in both C3 and C4 photosynthetic plants for yield improvement. C3 photosynthesis, the simplest type of plant photosynthetic system, exists in most agricultural crops used for human consumption, and includes canola, soybean, rice, wheat and potato. C4 photosynthesis is a more complex system. Plants using the C4 system have evolved an additional distinctive cellular structure, in which carbon dioxide is concentrated for the main photosynthesis enzyme RUBISCO through a series of metabolic and metabolite transports known as the C4 pathway. Corn and sugarcane are part of the C4 photosynthetic plant family. In general, C4 photosynthetic plants have up to five times inherently higher plant yield than plants in the C3 photosynthetic family. This difference in plant yield is a result of evolution, which has led plant scientists to consider the possibility that new genetic enhancements can be created to fundamentally improve the photosynthetic system in C3 plants.

        Over the last 18 months, we have consolidated our crop science intellectual property position with approximately ten patent filings in prosecution, identified additional novel gene targets for improving crop performance and yield through genetic engineering or genome editing, formed a scientific advisory board with leaders in plant science, conducted several greenhouse studies and conducted our first Fast Field Testing of traits from our "Smart Carbon Grid for Crops" discovery platform. We have reported encouraging data for our lead yield trait gene, C3003 in Camelina from greenhouse and field tests and are conducting additional studies in Camelina, canola, soybean and rice.

        Crop yield is the primary driver of the agriculture value chain. Yield can make the difference between a profitable season and losses for growers. As such, technologies to protect crop yield or increase it are the primary determinant of the seed the growers buy for planting at the start of the season. This in turn determines both revenue and market share for the major seed players. Yield10's goal is to discover, optimize and translate our yield trait gene innovations into major food and feed crops and demonstrate the economic value to growers and seed companies. In all cases our trait genes will be introduced using genetic engineering technologies either to introduce new genes, to introduce additional copies of genes from the same crop species with modified regulatory sequences from that crop species or by using genome editing technologies to reduce or eliminate the function of specific plant gene targets in individual crops. The method by which we deploy our yield trait genes has significant regulatory implications, which, in turn can affect the timelines and cost of their commercialization. We intend to create high-value assets in the form of proprietary yield gene technologies and to de-risk these assets by progressing them along the path to commercial development with increasingly larger scale field tests and multi-site field trials in major crops. We are deploying our yield trait genes into canola, soybean and corn. We are engineering these traits into the major crops with the goal that they will be suitable for the regulatory approval process and in crop varieties (germplasm) such that our traits can be readily introduced into the industry's elite crop lines by plant breeding.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

        The Company held unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and investments of $7,309,000 at December 31, 2016. We believe that these resources will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements into the fourth quarter of 2017. We have recently changed the focus of our business and are developing disruptive technologies for step-change improvements to crop yield to enhance global food security. We continue to face significant challenges and uncertainties in this new and developing area and, as a result, our available capital resources may be consumed more rapidly than currently expected due to: (a) increases in costs and operating expenses related to research and development activities; (b) changes we may make to the business that affect ongoing operating expenses; (c) additional changes we may make to our business strategy; (d) changes in our research and

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development spending plans; and (e) other items affecting our forecasted level of expenditures and use of cash resources. Accordingly, we will need to raise additional funds to support our operating and capital needs. We will attempt to obtain additional funding through public or private financing, collaborative arrangements with strategic partners, or through additional credit lines or other debt financing sources to increase the funds available to support operations. However, there is uncertainty regarding whether we can successfully execute these actions, and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to do so. Furthermore, if we issue equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, our existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration, licensing or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. Without additional funds, we will be forced to delay, scale back or eliminate some of our research and development activities or other operations and potentially delay product development in an effort to provide sufficient funds to continue our operations. If any of these events occurs, our ability to achieve our development goals would be adversely affected.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

        We were incorporated in Massachusetts in June 1992 under the name of Metabolix, Inc. In September 1998, we reincorporated in Delaware. On January 9, 2017, we changed our name to Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 19 Presidential Way, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801, and our telephone number is (617) 583-1700. Our internet website is www.yield10bio.com. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement and should not be considered to be part of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as well as reports relating to our securities filed by others pursuant to Section 16 of such act, are available through the investor relations page of our Internet website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.

RISK FACTORS

        Investing in our securities involves risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to each type or series of securities we offer will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in Yield10 and to the particular types of securities that we are offering under that prospectus supplement. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as revised or supplemented by our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, each of which are on file with the SEC and are incorporated herein by reference, and which may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

        We currently intend to use the estimated net proceeds from the sale of these securities for working capital and other general corporate purposes, and possibly acquisitions of other companies, products or technologies. Working capital and other general corporate purposes may include research and development expenditures, capital expenditures, operating and administrative expenditures, and any other purpose that we may specify in any prospectus supplement. While we have no current plans for any specific acquisitions at this time, we believe opportunities may exist from time to time to expand our current business through strategic alliances or acquisitions with other companies, products or technologies. We have not yet determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for any of the foregoing purposes. Accordingly, our management will have significant discretion and flexibility in applying the net proceeds from the sale of these securities. Pending any use, as described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds in high-quality, short-term, interest-bearing securities. Our plans to use the estimated net proceeds from the sale of these securities may change, and if they do, we will update this information in a prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

        The following description of our common stock and preferred stock, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of these types of securities but is not complete. For the complete terms of our common stock and preferred stock, please refer to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended to date, which we refer to as our Certificate of Incorporation, and our Amended and Restated By-laws, which we refer to as our By-laws, each of which is incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and, with respect to any new shares of preferred stock, the certificate of designation which will be filed with the SEC for each new series of preferred stock we may designate, if any.

General

        We will describe in a prospectus supplement the specific terms of any common stock or preferred stock we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. If indicated in a prospectus supplement, the terms of such common stock or preferred stock may differ from the terms described below.

        We have 255,000,000 shares of capital stock authorized under our Certificate of Incorporation, consisting of 250,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share and 5,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. The authorized shares of common stock and undesignated preferred stock are available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. If the approval of our stockholders is not so required, our board of directors may determine not to seek stockholder approval.

Common Stock

        As of March 20, 2017, there were 28,402,471 shares of our common stock outstanding held by 44 stockholders of record.

        Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held of record for the election of directors and on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends ratably, if any, as may be declared by our board of directors out of legally available funds, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any preferred stock then outstanding. Upon our dissolution, liquidation or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in our net assets legally available after the payment of all our debts and other liabilities, subject to the preferential rights of any preferred stock then outstanding. Holders of our

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common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. However, each outstanding share of our common stock currently has attached to it one Preferred Stock Purchase Right issued under the shareholder rights plan, which is summarized below. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future. Except as described below in "Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws and Delaware Anti-Takeover Law," a majority vote of common stockholders is generally required to take action under our certificate of incorporation and by-laws.

Preferred Stock

        Our board of directors is authorized, without action by the stockholders, to designate and issue up to an aggregate of 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series. The board of directors can fix the rights, preferences and privileges of the shares of each series and any of its qualifications, limitations or restrictions. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible future financings and acquisitions and other corporate purposes could, under certain circumstances, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company and might harm the market price of our common stock. There are no restrictions on our ability to repurchase or reclaim our preferred shares while there is any arrearage in the payment of dividends on our preferred stock.

        Our board of directors will make any determination to issue such shares based on its judgment as to our company's best interests and the best interests of our stockholders.

Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws and Delaware Anti-Takeover Law

        Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws includes a number of provisions that may have the effect of encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.

        Board Composition and Filling Vacancies.    In accordance with our certificate of incorporation, our board is divided into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, with one class being elected each year. Our certificate of incorporation also provides that directors may be removed only for cause and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, any vacancy on our board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our board, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office even if less than a quorum.

        No Written Consent of Stockholders.    Our certificate of incorporation provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting.

        Meetings of Stockholders.    Our by-laws provide that only a majority of the members of our board of directors then in office may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our by-laws limit the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting.

        Advance Notice Requirements.    Our by-laws establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder

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proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. The notice must contain certain information specified in the by-laws.

        Amendment to By-Laws and Certificate of Incorporation.    As required by the Delaware General Corporation Law, any amendment of our certificate of incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our board of directors and, if required by law or our certificate of incorporation, thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and a majority of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to stockholder action, directors, limitation of liability and the amendment of our by-laws and certificate of incorporation must be approved by not less than 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than 75% of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class. Our by-laws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the by-laws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if the board of directors recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class.

        Blank Check Preferred Stock.    Our certificate of incorporation provides for 5,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of us or our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

        We may issue warrants for the purchase of preferred stock or common stock. Warrants may be issued independently or together with preferred stock or common stock and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any registered holders of warrants or beneficial owners of warrants. This summary of some provisions of the warrants is not complete. You should refer to the warrant agreement, including the forms of warrant certificate representing the warrants, relating to the specific warrants being offered for the complete terms of the warrant agreement and the warrants. That warrant agreement, together with the terms of the warrant certificate and warrants, will be filed with the SEC in connection with the offering of the specific warrants.

        The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

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the title of such warrants;

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the aggregate number of such warrants;



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the price or prices at which such warrants will be issued;



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the terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants and the procedures and conditions relating to the exercise of such warrants;



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the price at which the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants may be purchased;



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the date on which the right to exercise such warrants will commence and the date on which such right shall expire;



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any provisions for adjustment of the number or amount of securities receivable upon exercise of the warrants or the exercise price of the warrants;



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if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants that may be exercised at any one time;



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if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which such warrants are issued and the number of such warrants issued with each such security;



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if applicable, the date on and after which such warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;



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information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; and



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any other terms of such warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange or exercise of such warrants.

        The prospectus supplement relating to any warrants to purchase equity securities may also include, if applicable, a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations.

        Warrants for the purchase of preferred stock and common stock will be offered and exercisable for U.S. dollars only. Securities warrants will be issued in registered form only.

        Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement.

        After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void. We will specify the place or places where, and the manner in which, warrants may be exercised in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        Upon receipt of payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the purchased securities. If less than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, a new warrant certificate will be issued for the remaining warrants.

        Prior to the exercise of any warrants to purchase preferred stock or common stock, holders of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of preferred stock or common stock purchasable upon exercise, including the right to vote or to receive any payments of dividends on the preferred stock or common stock purchasable upon exercise.

DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS

        The following is a general description of the terms of the subscription rights we may issue from time to time. Particular terms of any subscription rights we offer will be described in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus relating to such subscription rights, and may differ from the terms described herein.

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        We may issue subscription rights to purchase our securities. These subscription rights may be issued independently or together with any other security offered hereby and may or may not be transferable by the stockholder receiving the subscription rights in such offering. In connection with any offering of subscription rights, we may enter into a standby arrangement with one or more underwriters or other purchasers pursuant to which the underwriters or other purchasers may be required to purchase any securities remaining unsubscribed for after such offering.

        The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of any offering of subscription rights for which this prospectus is being delivered, including the following:

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whether common stock, preferred stock, or warrants for those securities will be offered under the stockholder subscription rights;



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the price, if any, for the subscription rights;



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the exercise price payable for each security upon the exercise of the subscription rights;



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the number of subscription rights issued to each stockholder;



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the number and terms of the securities which may be purchased per each subscription right;



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the extent to which the subscription rights are transferable;



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any other terms of the subscription rights, including the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights;



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the date on which the right to exercise the subscription rights shall commence, and the date on which the subscription rights shall expire;



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the extent to which the subscription rights may include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities;



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if appropriate, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations; and



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if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement entered into by us in connection with the offering of subscription rights.

        The description in the applicable prospectus supplement of any subscription rights we offer will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable subscription rights certificate or subscription rights agreement, which will be filed with the SEC if we offer subscription rights.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

        The following description, together with the additional information that we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any units offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

        We will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of unit agreement that describes the terms of the series of units we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of the related series of units. The following summaries of material terms and provisions of the units are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the unit agreement and any supplemental agreements applicable to a particular series of units. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of

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units that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses and the complete unit agreement and any supplemental agreements that contain the terms of the units.

General

        We may issue units consisting of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, rights or purchase contracts for the purchase of common stock or preferred stock in one or more series, in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each security included in the unit. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

        We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of units being offered, including:

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the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;



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any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; and



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any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units.

        The provisions described in this section, as well as those set forth in any prospectus supplement or as described under "Description of Common Stock," "Description of Preferred Stock," "Description of Warrants," "Description of Rights" and "Description of Purchase Contracts" will apply to each unit, as applicable, and to any common stock, preferred stock, warrant, right or purchase contract included in each unit, as applicable.

Unit Agent

        The name and address of the unit agent for any units we offer will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Issuance in Series

        We may issue units in such amounts and in such numerous distinct series as we determine.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Units

        Each unit agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable unit agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any unit. A single bank or trust company may act as unit agent for more than one series of units. A unit agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable unit agreement or unit, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a unit may, without the consent of the related unit agent or the holder of any other unit, enforce by appropriate legal action its rights as holder under any security included in the unit.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

        We may sell the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus directly to purchasers, to or through underwriters, through dealers or agents, or through a combination of such methods. The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities being offered will set forth the terms of the offering of those securities, including the names of the underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, the purchase price, the net proceeds to us, any underwriting discounts and other items constituting

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underwriters' compensation, the public offering price, any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers and any securities exchanges on which such securities may be listed.

        If underwriters are used in an offering, we will execute an underwriting agreement with such underwriters and will specify the name of each underwriter and the terms of the transaction (including any underwriting discounts and other terms constituting compensation of the underwriters and any dealers) in a prospectus supplement. The securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or directly by one or more investment banking firms or others, as designated. If an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter(s) will be specified on the cover of the prospectus supplement. If underwriters are used in the sale, the offered securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own accounts and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered securities will be subject to conditions precedent and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the offered securities if any are purchased.

        We may grant to the underwriters options to purchase additional securities to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price, with additional underwriting commissions or discounts, as may be set forth in a related prospectus supplement. The terms of any over-allotment option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for those securities.

        If any underwriters are involved in the offer and sale, they will be permitted to engage in transactions that maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. These transactions may include over-allotment transactions, purchases to cover short positions created by the underwriter in connection with the offering and the imposition of penalty bids. If an underwriter creates a short position in the securities in connection with the offering by selling more securities than set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriter may reduce that short position by purchasing the securities in the open market. In general, purchases of a security to reduce a short position could cause the price of the security to be higher than it might be in the absence of such purchases. As noted above, underwriters may also choose to impose penalty bids on other underwriters and/or selling group members. This means that if underwriters purchase securities on the open market to reduce their short position or to stabilize the price of the securities, they may reclaim the amount of the selling concession from those underwriters and/or selling group members who sold such securities as part of the offering.

        Neither we nor any underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of such securities. In addition, neither we nor any underwriter make any representation that such underwriter will engage in such transactions or that such transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

        If dealers are used in an offering, we will sell the securities to the dealers as principals. The dealers then may resell the securities to the public at varying prices which they determine at the time of resale. The names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction will be specified in a prospectus supplement.

        The securities may be sold directly by us or through agents we designate from time to time at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, or at varying prices determined at the time of sale, such as in an at-the-market offering or arrangement. If agents are used in an offering, the names of the agents and the terms of the agency will be specified in a prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, the agents will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of their appointment.

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        Dealers and agents named in a prospectus supplement may be deemed to be underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, also referred to in this prospectus as the "Securities Act") of the securities described therein. In addition, we may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any resales thereof.

        Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled to indemnification by us against specific civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which the underwriters or agents may be required to make in respect thereof, under underwriting or other agreements. The terms of any indemnification provisions will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. Certain underwriters, dealers or agents and their associates may engage in transactions with and perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

        If so indicated in a prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by institutional investors to purchase securities pursuant to contracts providing for payment and delivery on a future date. We may enter into contracts with commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutional investors. The obligations of any institutional investor will be subject to the condition that its purchase of the offered securities will not be illegal at the time of delivery. The underwriters and other agents will not be responsible for the validity or performance of such contracts.

        Direct sales to investors or our stockholders may be accomplished through subscription offerings or through subscription rights distributed to stockholders. In connection with subscription offerings or the distribution of subscription rights to stockholders, if all of the underlying securities are not subscribed for, we may sell any unsubscribed securities to third parties directly or through underwriters or agents. In addition, whether or not all of the underlying securities are subscribed for, we may concurrently offer additional securities to third parties directly or through underwriters or agents. If securities are to be sold through subscription rights, the subscription rights will be distributed as a dividend to the stockholders for which they will pay no separate consideration.

        Any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be eligible for quotation and trading on NASDAQ, subject to official notice of issuance. Any underwriters to whom securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice.

        In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the securities offered hereby will be sold in those jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.

LEGAL MATTERS

        The validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, P.C., Boston, Massachusetts. If the securities are being distributed in an underwritten offering, certain legal matters will be passed upon for the underwriters by counsel identified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements of Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. as of December 31, 2016 and for the year then ended, incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 have been audited by RSM US LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report thereon (which

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expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company's ability to continue as a going concern), incorporated herein by reference, and have been incorporated in this Prospectus and Registration Statement in reliance upon such reports and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

        The consolidated financial statements incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company's ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

        We are a public company and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public reference room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov , or on our website at http://www.yield10bio.com/ under the "Investors" link. Information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus.

        This prospectus is only part of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC under the Securities Act, and therefore omits certain information contained in the Registration Statement. We have also filed exhibits with the Registration Statement that are excluded from this prospectus, and you should refer to the applicable exhibit for a complete description of any statement referring to any contract or other document. You may:

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inspect a copy of this prospectus, including the exhibits and schedules, without charge at the public reference room;



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obtain a copy of this prospectus from the SEC upon payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC; or



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obtain a copy of this prospectus from the SEC website.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

        The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" information from other documents that we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information in this prospectus by referring to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The documents we are incorporating by reference as of their respective dates of filing are:

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Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016; and



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The description of our common stock contained in Item 1 of our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on November 6, 2006, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating the description.

        All documents and reports filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than Current Reports on Form 8-K containing only information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K, unless otherwise indicated therein) after the date of this

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prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering made hereby shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein or in any prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus. We will provide, without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request of such person, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated herein by reference other than exhibits, unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents or this document. Requests for such documents should be addressed in writing or by telephone to:

Investor Relations
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc.
19 Presidential Way
Woburn, Massachusetts 01801
(617) 583-1700

        You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any document to which we have referred you. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with information that is different. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement may be used only where it is legal to sell these securities. The information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is current only as of the date on the front of these documents.

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