Biotalys collaborates with Novonesis on new biofungicide

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Biotalys, a Belgian agricultural technology company with a small U.S. subsidiary in Raleigh, has formed a collaboration with Novonesis (formerly Novozymes) to commercialize a biofungicide for fruit and vegetable crops worldwide.

The partnership encompasses the production, global supply and certain commercialization rights of EVOCA NG, projected to be Biotalys’ first profitable biofungicide, a product to help control the devastating fungal diseases Botrytis and powdery mildew, the companies announced in a news release.

“We are excited to partner with Biotalys to bring a novel biofungicide to the market with a new active ingredient,” said Kim Mueller Christensen, vice president of animal and plant biosolutions marketing and business development of Novonesis. “With EVOCA NG we will be able to leverage our world-leading fermentation capabilities to add value to Biotalys’ very promising AGROBODY technology. We look forward to working together with Biotalys to offer another novel biocontrol solution to our agricultural partners around the world and help shape a safer and more sustainable food production.”

Novozymes has a significant presence in North Carolina. It maintains its North American headquarters in Franklinton and an R&D facility in the Research Triangle. The company employs around 800 people in the state.

Biotalys and Novonesis are completing the manufacturing process development phase for EVOCA NG, which includes an investment by Novonesis for scaling up microbial fermentation production capacity to support global commercialization.

The companies will also be commercial partners in the distribution and sale of EVOCA NG for select crops outside of the United States. Biotalys will receive a royalty on Novonesis’ net sales of EVOCA NG for all covered territories.

“Novonesis is a well-respected international leader in the field of biosolutions,” said Kevin Helash, the Raleigh-based chief executive officer of Biotalys (who was profiled recently by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center). “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with them on producing EVOCA NG, enabling us to introduce the innovative AGROBODY technology to our global customers. This is an important step forward for Biotalys as we lay the foundation for future commercial launches from our AGROBODY 2.0 technology platform.”

AGROBODY is an automated process that rapidly screens thousands of “antibody-inspired” proteins for activity against a wide range of crop pests and diseases. 

Original Article Source: NC Biotech Center