Articles published on AFN, Oct 24, 2024
There’s no shortage of novel biofungicides and bioinsecticides in development as the ag biologicals space gathers steam. But when it comes to fighting bacterial pathogens, says Israeli startup BioArmix, the options are surprisingly limited.
A spin off from Hebrew University founded in 2023, BioArmix is starting field trials of what it claims is a new type of biological that deploys naturally occurring, non-GMO “predatory” bacteria to tackle gram-negative bacterial pathogens that attack crops such as potatoes, sugar beet, apples, and cassava.
The approach is being explored in human medicine for bacterial infections that have developed resistance to antibiotics, aquaculture, and biofilm control, but is new in the ag biologicals space, claims cofounder and CEO Dr. Tzvi Zvirin.
“It’s a well-studied bacterial family with different strains that’s historically been more studied in the field of human medicine, although it’s still very new, and we are the only ones we know of [developing products using predatory bacteria] in the field of agriculture.”
Two-year shelf-life at room temperature
Unlike antibiotics, predatory bacteria naturally hunt and consume other bacteria, attacking pathogens through direct predation, without harming beneficial bacteria, he explained. Target bacteria are also less likely to develop resistance, a key challenge with antibiotics, offering exciting new microbiome-friendly possibilities for tackling drug-resistant infections in humans.
“We use naturally existing, non-GMO predatory bacteria that can prey on pathogenic bacteria, where they are completely dependent on the availability of pathogenic bacteria,” Zvirin told AgFunderNews.
“When the bacteria [attacking crops] are eradicated, then our bacteria will eat themselves and die. Our predators attach to their cell wall, penetrate inside, eat them from the inside, and then multiply inside and pump out to the next hunting ground. So it’s like one or two get in, tens are getting out. So it’s like a logarithmic scale, which can work for some period of time. And when there is no more pathogen left to attack, it will eliminate itself and go to equilibrium with the soil.”
He added: “So we are able to take those naturally existing predators, multiply them significantly and then encapsulate them [using carrageenan-trehalose-based formulations, for example] such that they can be stored at room temperature as a dry powder for years [a key selling point given the short shelf-life of many biologicals, he says].
“And then later they can be used on demand via different application methods, from carriers or coating of the seeds or adding them to irrigation water or post harvest. Once you get them wet, the bacteria are released and are fully viable. We’ve tested them after two years and they keep the cell count.”
What is patentable?
As for IP, he said, “The bacteria themselves are naturally available, so they are not patentable. Our patents lie in the realm of the encapsulation, the process of growing and producing, and the use of the bacteria.
“One of our founders— Professor Edouard Jurkevitch—is a world leading researcher in the field of predatory bacteria. The other scientific founder— Professor Amos Nussinovitch—is an expert in physics and food tech, recognized for his applications of hydrocolloids and resins, and he’s been working on the encapsulation side, so they meshed together, and this technology came out.”
Progress so far
The initial focus has been on the application of encapsulated predatory Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus bacteria to tackle soft rot Pectobacteriaceae, a group of destructive gram-negative phytopathogens that can infect a wide range of plant hosts including potatoes, he explained.
To date, the strategy has been highly effective on potato tubers under controlled conditions within a net-house under natural climate conditions, but is now being tested in large-scale field trials in Israel, he said.
“But we are also exploring different applications such as biofilm removal, and we have had good results with several aquaculture pathogens.”
‘The top 10 agricultural pathogens are all gram negative’
As for the potential in crop protection, he said, “Predatory bacteria are gram negative specific bacteria, which are the most important ones in agriculture. The top 10 agricultural pathogens are all gram negative.
“We will probably not go after all of them, but each strain has its own range of prey. So, for example, the main strain that we use now can prey on E coli, it can prey on Pseudomonas, and also all the strains that attack potato, like Pectobacterium and others.”
BioArmix is also testing combinations of different strains of predatory bacteria for next-generation products, he said.
Tackling bacterial pathogens in agriculture: ‘There are not many solutions out there’
Right now, there are limited options available to farmers to tackle bacterial pathogens that cause problems such as soft rot, he said.
“There are moves to phase out antibiotics and copper based pesticides, and then the industry is left with almost no solutions. You can test seed tubers, which is expensive and can be inaccurate, and you can sterilize them with hypochlorite, but a lot of people predict that in three to five years, hypochlorite will also be banned. So basically this leaves farmers with good agricultural practices and just hoping that their losses will be not too severe.”
He added: “The problem is that these diseases are not soil born; they come with the seeds. And although seed companies provide certificates, you still get the diseases, but to a lesser extent.”
Some companies in biologicals such as UK-based APS Biocontrol are working on bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) for soft rot, he added, “but overall, there are not many solutions out there.”
Scale up and go to market strategies
So how scalable is BioArmix’s approach?
According to Zvirin, “We are developing the process to be ready for scale up, and we are already significantly advanced in this field. We are able, for example, to grow the predator and the prey together, basically saving on time and money, because before they had to be grown separately, then mixed, then grown together again.
“So we have been able to develop one fermenter process, and now we are optimizing it to be as cheap as possible [in progressively larger fermentation tanks]. We think that end users will save half the crops that normally are lost and get a return of about 5-6x on their investment.”
Asked about BioArmix’s route to market, he said, “Obviously we would like to have strategic partners in the form of companies that will use our product. We’re starting with potatoes because it’s a very important crop, but also a very consolidated market where there are many big players so direct sales are possible. But we will not neglect the b2b approach with larger biopesticide producers who are looking to diversify their portfolio because there are not many antibacterial products on the market.”
Funding
Sitting in the Galil Ofek Innovation Incubator and affiliated with YDLabs Israel, a fermentation service provider supported by the Israeli Innovation Authority, BioArmix is looking to raise new funds soon, said Zvirin.
“Investors are very interested because although there are many biologics on the market, the majority of them are fungicides or insecticide with almost nothing against bacterial pathogens.”