Industry Insights - Zymoseptoria tritici is a significant cause of wheat crop loss globally, with over 70% of fungicides in Europe targeting this fungus, representing a market exceeding 1.2 billion euros annually [1] - The increasing resistance of fungi to existing fungicides highlights the urgent need for new modes of action (MoA) in crop protection [1] Company Developments - AgPlenus has initiated a Zymoseptoria program using the TargetSelector™ tool to identify essential target proteins for the fungus, followed by the PointHit™ tool to discover chemical inhibitors [2] - Preliminary results from greenhouse trials indicate the efficacy of the identified molecules in managing Zymoseptoria, prompting the program to advance to the optimization phase using the ActiveSearch™ tool [3] - Dr. Dan Gelvan, CEO of AgPlenus, expressed optimism regarding the program's progress and the timely identification of novel targets amid rising fungicide resistance [4] - AgPlenus aims to develop innovative and sustainable crop protection solutions, leveraging predictive biology and artificial intelligence through its ChemPass AI tech-engine [5] Parent Company Overview - Evogene Ltd. is a computational biology company focused on life-science product development, utilizing advanced technologies to enhance success rates while reducing costs [6] - Evogene operates three tech-engines: MicroBoost AI, ChemPass AI, and GeneRator AI, each targeting different components for product discovery [6] - The company collaborates with various subsidiaries to develop products across multiple sectors, including ag-biologicals and ag-chemicals [7]
AgPlenus Announces Discovery of a New Mode of Action for Fungicides Against Wheat Disease