In the 1940’s the introduction of synthetic pesticides was a giant leap towards global food security, critical in a world with an exponentially growing population. Organochloride compounds such as DDT were widely used, and thousands of types of insecticides, herbicides, and general pesticides were developed. It was only years afterwards that the world woke up to the dire consequences of the synthetic chemical compounds, such as contamination of soil, water and other vegetation, toxicity towards organisms such as birds, fish, beneficial insects and non-target plants and a vast range of health impacts, such as increasing the risk of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, autism, ADHD and more.
“Metabolic Insights was co-founded by David Panik, chemist specializing in plant metabolism, and Ido Korman, a farmer and agronomist, who really understands the intricacies of agriculture”, says Noy. “We created a team of chemists biologists, experts in plants diseases, farmers, IP and production experts, all utilizing the knowledge gained over the past few years, with a mission of finding a balance that allows for enhancing food production in a way that both efficient and safe.”
One of the most up and coming, exciting, solutions is in the form of bio-pesticides. The rationale is simple: plants survive hundreds, even thousands and more of years. They do so in constantly changing conditions and without the ability to move, by carrying within the ability to protect themselves against harmful enemies by excreting designated chemical substances harmful to the specific species attacking them.
“At Metabolic Insights we are doing “drug discovery”, delving into the plants at the molecular level, seeking those specific molecules that carry within the antidote for whatever is harming the plant. About 70% of plant metabolism is channelled towards protection, and we are tapping into this vast potential, by extracting molecules from the plants, isolating them and testing them in laboratories and in our own greenhouses” Noy explains.
Metabolic Insights has joined forces with the Aharoni research lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science and together they have managed to create a proprietary, scalable, economically viable platform that is able to discover, select, and develop active ingredients for use in biopesticides. This platform can run hundreds and thousands of tests in an efficient manner. Each molecule extracted is graded on a matrix of dozens of different parameters. The platform seeks the molecules that are most efficient on the one hand, and that decompose easily, without harming the plant or the surroundings, on the other, as well as satisfying dozens of other multidisciplinary criteria.
“Our unique collaboration with the award-winning professor Asaph Aharoni, at the Weitzman Institute is bringing breakthrough products with a major impact on target markets. We’ve developed a systematic approach for the various stages of compounds assessment, chemical and biological analysis and other processes related to production methods, up scaling and regulatory work, and so far have isolated plant-based purified molecules such as MIF004, that controls various species of Downey Mildew, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Colletotrichum in fruits, vegetables, potatoes and rice or MIF013, another broad spectrum bio-fungicide in various crops, and others which are specific to a certain pathogen. Over 50 active metabolites have been identified up to date, and 15 have been selected for development. We have patents pending on use for eight products, and future patents will be addressing formulation, process, scalability, and mode of action,” Noy remarks excitedly.
By using chemical capabilities that are naturally found in nature, even small-to-medium size companies can develop novel products based on the molecules isolated. Massive developments in synthetic biology open an array of possibilities for economical upscaling by engineering micro-organisms such as bacteria, yeasts or micro algea to produce the compounds. Metabolic Insights' technologies have caught the attention of other companies overseas. The company has recently signed an exclusive agreement with a leading European pesticide manufacturer for one of the products.
“Our collaboration with the world leading laboratory in plant metabolism allows us to apply variety of approaches, including synthetic biology, to address the issue of scalability, one of the major bottlenecks for bio-based crop protection products development. One of the biggest advantages of using bio-based products is the shorter time to market. The regulation is straightforward, the development cost is lower, and the environmental profile is incomparable. Bio-based solutions are expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15-20%, in comparison to the total market CAGR of 4%. Our active ingredients can be commercialized within 5 years, at a fraction of what it costs to bring a new synthetic pesticide to market and at under half the time.” Clarifies Noy.
15 companies located in the USA, EU, Japan, and Asia have signed a Material Transfer Agreement with Metabolic Insights, indicating strong interest in testing the potential for integrating the active ingredients in their products and 9 companies are currently conducting product validation. “When we talk to potential clients, they are mesmerized by the process. The solution to one of the world biggest problems lies within the plants themselves and the implications to global health are immense.”
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