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By Agroempresario.com
The future of crop protection lies in highly specific, targeted solutions, and AgPlenus, a subsidiary of computational biology company Evogene, is leading the charge. With a unique, AI-driven platform, AgPlenus has ventured beyond traditional approaches to crop protection. The company’s model focuses on developing pesticides based on a target-specific approach, mirroring the strategy of the pharmaceutical industry. This method allows AgPlenus to create highly efficient products that aim to tackle specific diseases, ensuring greater effectiveness and sustainability in crop protection.
Dan Gelvan, CEO of AgPlenus, explained that his company’s approach differs significantly from the current industry norm. Traditional crop protection products often aim to target broad issues—such as herbicides that kill multiple types of weeds indiscriminately, sometimes harming beneficial plants along the way. In contrast, AgPlenus is using computational biology and AI to zero in on particular pests or diseases, creating solutions that are more targeted and efficient.
The pharmaceutical industry has long embraced the concept of targeted solutions for disease treatment. The approach used in human medicine has shifted from broad-spectrum treatments to highly specific drugs designed to act on a particular receptor or mutation. AgPlenus is applying the same principles to crop protection.
“Essentially, we are going in the direction that has been so successful for the pharmaceutical industry,” said Gelvan. “It’s about being more focused on the organism or pest you want to kill, and predicting the optimal solution to eliminate that pest efficiently.”
AgPlenus starts with building a “target product profile” (TPP), a key component of the company’s strategy. The TPP defines the pest or disease the product will target. This allows the company to concentrate its efforts on creating solutions that are more effective, focusing on the specific challenges farmers face.
For example, one of AgPlenus’ recent breakthroughs is a novel mode of action targeting Zymoseptoria tritici, the fungal pathogen responsible for Septoria tritici blotch, a significant problem for wheat crops, particularly in Europe. This fungal disease can cause devastating crop losses, with farmers facing a potential yield reduction of up to 90% in cases of severe infection. AgPlenus has made this pathogen a key focus in its target product profile, demonstrating how the company’s strategy is centered around addressing urgent agricultural challenges.
The company’s target-based approach also takes into account the economic viability of potential solutions. Gelvan emphasized that the product must not only solve a critical problem for farmers but also generate sufficient value for AgPlenus and its partners. By honing in on high-impact diseases, such as Septoria, the company aims to develop “blockbuster” pesticides capable of making a significant difference in crop protection.
AgPlenus’ competitive edge lies in its use of artificial intelligence to discover new modes of action and predict effective crop protection solutions. Unlike traditional methods of pesticide development, which often rely on trial and error, AgPlenus uses AI to simulate and test potential solutions before moving into the lab.
“We are a computational company at heart,” Gelvan explained. “Our platform allows us to model and predict which molecules will be most effective, helping us avoid the inefficiencies of older methods.”
The company’s AI-powered tools are so advanced that they have produced highly novel molecules that have never been seen before in the agricultural space. According to Gelvan, the novelty of the compounds generated by their AI system exceeds 90%, which is a remarkable achievement in an industry that typically faces challenges in creating truly new chemistry.
This advanced AI system, developed by Evogene, can suggest new molecules based on data gathered during the product development process. It also incorporates lessons from previous projects, creating an ever-evolving and refining database that improves its suggestions over time. “It’s like a ChatGPT engine that understands molecular structures and the needs of agricultural products,” Gelvan said, highlighting how this technology can dramatically accelerate the discovery of new crop protection solutions.
Although AgPlenus focuses on developing specific solutions for targeted pests and diseases, the company is already seeing the potential for broader applications of its discoveries. While the primary goal is to develop a fungicide that targets Zymoseptoria tritici, the compounds under development have shown promise in killing other types of fungi as well.
“This target-specific approach doesn’t mean the fungicide won’t have broader applications,” Gelvan explained. “We’ve already seen that our solutions can affect a range of fungi, not just the one we’ve focused on.”
This broad-spectrum potential is one of the advantages of AgPlenus’ approach. While the company’s products are designed to tackle specific problems, the nature of the compounds means that they could be adapted to address other related issues in crop protection, expanding their usefulness across various agricultural settings.
Partnerships play a crucial role in AgPlenus’ strategy, allowing the company to collaborate with larger agricultural firms and leverage their expertise and resources. Gelvan pointed out that AgPlenus’ computational capabilities are a key differentiator, and partnerships with major players like Corteva and Bayer help the company bring its innovative products to market.
“Collaborations generate new chemistry, which leads to new intellectual property and patents,” Gelvan said. “This gives us better protection and ensures that we can continue to develop cutting-edge solutions.”
A key aspect of these partnerships is AgPlenus’ ability to optimize its products based on feedback from its partners. For example, if issues arise with the potency, cost-effectiveness, or sustainability of a product, AgPlenus uses its AI-driven tools to suggest improvements, ensuring that the final product is both effective and economically viable.
As AgPlenus continues to refine its AI-based platform and expand its collaborations, the company is poised to make a significant impact on the crop protection industry. By adopting a more targeted, computational approach to pesticide development, AgPlenus is ushering in a new era of innovation in agriculture.
The company’s novel mode of action against Zymoseptoria tritici is just the beginning. With the ability to tackle a range of pests and diseases with precision, AgPlenus is paving the way for a future where crop protection is more effective, sustainable, and economically viable.
As the industry faces mounting challenges from pest resistance and climate change, AgPlenus’ approach offers a promising solution that can help farmers protect their crops while minimizing the environmental impact of pesticides. With AI at the forefront of its innovation, AgPlenus is well-positioned to shape the future of crop protection in the years to come.
