Quercus Biosolutions Emerges from Stealth to Disrupt Crop Protection with Designer Mini Proteins

By Agroempresario.com

Quercus Biosolutions, an ag biotech startup, has emerged from stealth mode with a groundbreaking approach to crop protection. Founded by industry veterans Dr. Jon Lightner and Matt Crisp, the company leverages generative AI to create a new category of crop protection products based on designer mini proteins. The firm recently secured pre-seed funding from undisclosed investors and has partnered with drug discovery startup Ordaos Bio to utilize Ordaos’ AI platform, originally developed for human medicine, in agriculture.

This innovative strategy could be a game changer for the crop protection industry. According to Crisp, “We’ve been saying for 20 years that ‘In the next five years, biologicals are going to overtake chemistry-based solutions,’ and now, after significant investments, we are finally seeing results.” With Quercus’ platform, Crisp believes the company will achieve in two years what others have tried to do over the past two decades.

At the core of Quercus’ approach is the use of designer mini proteins, a step forward in the biological crop protection sector. While many companies in the biological space screen natural proteins to find those effective against pests or diseases, Quercus is using AI to design proteins from scratch. This allows the company to explore the full range of possible protein structures, significantly enhancing precision, stability, and consistency in their products.

In a notable departure from traditional methods, Quercus is using AI to model and test protein structures in an expedited process. This enables them to produce these proteins in a matter of days and begin in vitro testing the following day. This method represents a significant leap forward, as explained by Ordaos Bio’s CEO, Dave Longo: “True de novo protein design, as Quercus is doing, involves designing a protein from scratch with the desired properties, unlike other methods where existing proteins are altered.”

Crisp acknowledges that the biological crop protection space faces challenges, including the stability and effectiveness of the solutions. “I think a similar set of challenges continues to plague this entire space,” he notes. However, Quercus aims to tackle these issues by designing proteins that can offer consistent efficacy comparable to chemical solutions while maintaining the environmental advantages of biological products.

Quercus’ ability to factor in various challenges from the outset of product development is one of its key differentiators. Rather than developing products in a linear fashion, starting with the mode of action and then solving other issues such as formulation, stability, and cost-effectiveness, Quercus integrates all of these factors into the early stages of product development. This enables the company to design products that are not only highly effective but also easier to manufacture and scale.

The connection between the pharmaceutical industry and agriculture is central to Quercus’ strategy. As Crisp puts it, “Ag is 5-15 years behind human medicine when it comes to technological innovation.” This realization led the team to look for inspiration in the pharmaceutical sector, where generative AI has been deployed to create bespoke biological designs. By repurposing these platforms for agriculture, Quercus hopes to accelerate the development of novel crop protection solutions.

What sets Quercus apart from other companies is its focus on mini proteins that are not only effective but also environmentally friendly. These proteins, regulated as biopesticides, will not persist in the environment for decades, unlike traditional synthetic chemicals. This makes them an attractive alternative as the agricultural industry moves away from chemicals and toward more sustainable solutions. Lightner highlights that these mini proteins could be just as effective as synthetic chemicals but without the long-term environmental impact.

Quercus is also exploring various production methods for scaling its mini proteins. While proteins are built synthetically during the R&D phase, the company plans to use recombinant protein expression in microbial systems for large-scale production. This method would allow Quercus to compete with small-molecule chemistry on both cost and production efficiency.

One of the most exciting aspects of Quercus’ approach is the potential for rapid field-level validation. Crisp says, “In the next three to six months, we aim to conduct greenhouse and growth chamber studies with the possibility of moving to field-level validation in as little as six months.” This quick turnaround time is a testament to the efficiency of Quercus’ platform, which allows the company to rapidly test and validate new products.

The company’s pipeline of products is poised to address several critical issues in crop protection. Quercus is already focusing on known sites of action for particular crop protection problems, such as targeting specific receptors or enzymes that are crucial for pest and disease management. This approach allows Quercus to design proteins that fit these active sites with a high degree of precision.

In addition to the technical aspects of product development, Quercus is also building a strong intellectual property (IP) portfolio. With the use of AI to design mini proteins, the company is poised to create a unique data set that could drive valuable IP in the crop protection space.

While the definition of a “mini protein” may vary, Lightner explains that Quercus is looking for proteins that are large enough to have a tertiary structure—unlike linear sequences of amino acids that do not fold into stable shapes. These mini proteins typically range from 15 to 50 amino acids in length, and their design is crucial to ensuring they can perform specific functions, such as crossing plant cuticles or cell membranes.

As Quercus moves forward with its mission to disrupt crop protection, it remains focused on leveraging AI to accelerate the development of innovative solutions. With its cutting-edge technology and rapid product development cycle, Quercus is well-positioned to reshape the future of crop protection and bring sustainable, effective products to market.

The company’s innovative approach to designing mini proteins could lead to a major shift in the agriculture industry. As the demand for sustainable crop protection solutions grows, Quercus is positioning itself to be at the forefront of this transformative change. By using generative AI to design highly effective, environmentally friendly mini proteins, the company is poised to become a key player in the future of crop protection.

In the coming months and years, Quercus’ success will depend on its ability to scale its technology, build a robust IP portfolio, and navigate the regulatory landscape. However, the company’s cutting-edge AI platform and its partnership with Ordaos Bio put it in a strong position to make significant strides in the crop protection sector.

With an eye toward the future, Quercus Biosolutions is ready to disrupt the crop protection industry and lead the way in sustainable agriculture. The potential of its AI-designed mini proteins is vast, and as the company continues to innovate, it could redefine what is possible in crop protection, benefiting both farmers and the environment.