Bayer has selected US-based Genvor as the first recipient of its Golden Ticket Award. The award means Genvor, a developer of sustainable plant health solutions, will receive year-long access to laboratory space and equipment at Bayer’s LifeHub California @AgStart, one of the leading US AgriFoodTech Innovation ecosystems.
Genvor is working with antimicrobial peptide technology to make small changes within a genome that could amplify disease resistance and enhance nutrition. Earlier this year, the company released efficacy research that it has been carrying out in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture regarding the use of peptides for aflatoxin resistance in corn. Aflatoxin contamination is a significant issue for corn farmers in the US, presenting a threat to human and livestock health as well as causing some $500 million worth of damage. The company is also working on biological sprays.
Commenting on the Bayer award, Genvor CEO Chad Pawlak said: “This support will accelerate our journey towards commercialisation, enhancing agricultural sustainability and delivering tangibe benefits to farmers and the environment globally.”
Bayer’s Golden Ticket program is one of several ways in which the company is working with innovative companies and start-ups around the world to accelerate the delivery of agricultural innovation to farmers. During this first year, the Golden Ticket Award is focusing on areas of regenerative agriculture, novel crop protection and efficiency approaches, advanced breeding technologies and applications in synthetic biology.
Genvor was selected from a field of 34 applicants being chosen for “their groundbreaking approach to crop protection.” As well as access to laboratory space and resources, the company will receive mentorship as it takes its technologies to market.
“Genvor’s proprietary use of antimicrobial peptide technology takes advantage of pathways built into crops and has the potential to deliver broad spectrum biological sprays for effective controls of many plant diseases,” said Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation and Outreach for Bayer’s Crop Science Division.
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