Moa and NAICONS Team Up for Innovative Herbicide Development
As global agricultural challenges increase, innovative partnerships in the biotech industry show great promise. Moa Technology, an Oxford-based agricultural biotech firm, is collaborating with NAICONS, an Italian natural products company, to revolutionize weed management through naturally-occurring herbicides.
The Need for Effective Herbicides
As the agricultural landscape evolves, the necessity for effective herbicides is becoming increasingly acute. Farmers face an uphill battle with over 273 weed species recognized as resistant to one or more currently available herbicides. This situation results in enormous financial losses for farmers globally. Annual crop losses due to weeds are estimated to cost the U.S. economy over $11 billion, while the Australian economy suffers further with approximately $3.3 billion lost. In the UK, one particularly troublesome weed, blackgrass, is responsible for an annual expenditure of around $500 million for farmers.
Innovative Screening Techniques
Moa's proprietary high-throughput screening platform plays a crucial role in this ambitious project. The technology allows for the rapid evaluation of 70,000 micro-bacterial extracts from NAICONS' extensive library of natural products. This ongoing research aims to identify biological leads that can effectively control weeds while being safe for humans and the environment, whether as standalone herbicides or enhancements to existing products.
Progress Made and Potential Outcomes
To date, Moa has conducted screenings of nearly 800,000 synthetic and naturally occurring compounds, which has led to the discovery of over 70 promising herbicides with novel modes of action. These findings are crucial, especially as three synthetic herbicides with unique modes of action have already demonstrated strong results in international field trials over two seasons.
The collaborative agreement with NAICONS bestows Moa with exclusive rights to develop any newly discovered herbicides from the library, establishing a framework for sharing the future licensing opportunities and commercialization efforts.
Voices from Leadership
Dr. Virginia Corless, CEO of Moa Technology, expresses her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "Our discovery platform is tailored to screen natural product libraries effectively, giving us clear indicators for commercially viable herbicides. We're excited to apply our technology to NAICONS' quality library of actinomycete bacteria, potentially unearthing solutions that aid farmers in sustainable weed control."
Stefano Donadio, CEO of NAICONS, echoes this sentiment, noting the excitement around their combined efforts. "This collaboration is groundbreaking; our library has not been screened for herbicides before, and we anticipate swiftly identifying promising lead molecules via our powerful micro4all platform. Our team is dedicated to uncovering the most compelling herbicide candidates from the over 150,000 distinct molecules we've identified in our extracts sent to Moa."
Moa – A Leader in Biotech Innovations
Founded in 2017 as a spin-off from Oxford University, Moa is committed to providing farmers with effective, safe, and affordable herbicides. The firm has made significant strides in the agricultural biotech field by screening over 700,000 synthetic compounds and 100,000 naturally occurring ones in the past three years, identifying over 70 novel modes of action. Their three leading herbicides have recently completed a second successful season in international field trials. Moreover, Moa has formed a significant partnership with Nufarm to co-develop and market these new chemical innovations.
About NAICONS
NAICONS Srl is a Milan-based biotechnology enterprise specializing in the discovery and development of bioactive molecules. With its innovative micro4all platform, NAICONS combines an extensive and diverse library of actinomycete bacteria with advanced molecular annotation techniques to enhance the speed and accuracy of identification in drug discovery, agriculture, and various biotechnological applications. Over the years, NAICONS has partnered with numerous public and private institutions to foster advancements in the realms of drug discovery and agricultural technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main goal of Moa and NAICONS’ partnership?
The partnership aims to discover effective and safe biological herbicides through innovative screening techniques of natural products.
How many compounds have Moa screened to date?
Moa has screened close to 800,000 synthetic and natural compounds, which has led to numerous discoveries in herbicidal solutions.
What economic impact do weed resistance issues have?
Weed resistance leads to significant economic losses, with estimates of over $11 billion lost in the U.S. and $3.3 billion in Australia annually.
What advancements have been made by Moa?
Moa has identified over 70 promising new herbicides and three with novel modes of action that have already shown strong results in field trials.
What technology does NAICONS use to accelerate herbicide discovery?
NAICONS employs its micro4all platform, which integrates diverse libraries to facilitate the rapid identification of promising bioactive molecules.
