Syngenta and Lavie Bio Announce Partnership to Discover and Develop Novel Bio-Insecticide

Rhea-AI Summary

Syngenta Crop Protection and Lavie Bio Ltd., a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd., announce a collaboration to develop new biological insecticidal solutions to combat global crop challenges caused by insects. The agreement combines Lavie Bio's technology platform with Syngenta's research and commercialization capabilities to address the $70 billion annual economic impact of insect damage on crops.

Insights

Agricultural Biotechnology Expert

The collaboration between Syngenta Crop Protection and Lavie Bio Ltd. signifies a strategic move to address the escalating challenge of insect damage in agriculture, which has profound implications for crop yields and, consequently, global food supply. The integration of Lavie Bio's computational platforms with Syngenta's R&D infrastructure is poised to catalyze the generation of novel bio-insecticides. This partnership is not merely a business transaction; it represents an advancement in agricultural biotechnology with the potential to introduce new modes of action in the market.

From an agricultural biotechnology perspective, the development of bio-insecticides is critical in mitigating the risks associated with chemical insecticides, such as resistance and environmental impact. The collaboration's success could lead to sustainable farming practices and potentially reduce the estimated $70 billion annual loss to the global economy due to crop damage by insects.

Market Research Analyst

Examining the market implications of this partnership, it's evident that the demand for sustainable and effective crop protection solutions is on the rise. The collaboration could disrupt the current insecticide market, especially if the bio-insecticides developed are proven to be more effective or environmentally friendly than existing chemical solutions. The agricultural sector is under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices and this partnership aligns with that trend.

For investors, this collaboration could signal long-term growth opportunities for both Syngenta and Lavie Bio, as successful development and commercialization of these bio-insecticides could capture significant market share. However, the timeline for research, development and regulatory approval of such biological solutions is typically lengthy and the financial impact may not be immediate.

Environmental Sustainability Analyst

This partnership has implications beyond business and finance, extending into environmental sustainability. The development of biological insecticides could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of agricultural practices by offering alternatives to synthetic chemicals, which have been linked to biodiversity loss and negative effects on non-target species. The potential reduction in chemical residues on crops and in the surrounding ecosystems aligns with global sustainability goals and can contribute to the health of both humans and the environment.

Moreover, the focus on biocontrol innovation in the face of global warming is timely. As climate change potentially expands the range of harmful insects, the agricultural industry must adapt with more resilient and sustainable pest management strategies. The success of this partnership could set a precedent for how agricultural companies address the dual challenges of productivity and environmental stewardship.

- Agreement reinforces both companies’ commitment to developing and bringing innovative biological solutions to farmers

BASEL, Switzerland & REHOVOT, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Syngenta Crop Protection, a leader in agricultural innovation, and Lavie Bio Ltd., a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN, TASE: EVGN), and a leading ag-biologicals company, today announced an agreement for the discovery and development of new biological insecticidal solutions.

The collaboration will leverage Lavie Bio's unique technology platform to rapidly identify and optimize bio-insecticide candidates, as well as Syngenta’s extensive global research, development and commercialization capabilities.

Insects pose a major challenge to the health of crops worldwide, directly injuring plants as they feed on the plant’s stems, fruit and roots, as well as indirectly by transmitting bacterial, viral and fungal infections to crops – costing the global economy an estimated $70 billion a year, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Experts predict such losses will worsen with global warming widening the spread of invasive insect risk and rising resistance to available insecticides.

“Syngenta is a leader in advancing sustainable agriculture and we are thrilled to collaborate with Lavie Bio in biocontrol innovation and bring novel modes of action in the growers’ toolbox to combat insect resistance,” said Camilla Corsi, Global Head of Research at Syngenta Crop Protection. “This collaboration underscores Syngenta's commitment to collaborating with cutting-edge agricultural technology companies, merging digital and experimental approaches to accelerate and diversify innovation.”

"We're excited to collaborate with Syngenta, a world leader in agricultural innovation," said Amit Noam, CEO of Lavie Bio. "Both companies share a mutual commitment to sustainable farming and together, we aim to develop an impactful bio-insecticide product. Lavie Bio's unique computational capabilities and Syngenta's vast experience in developing and commercializing innovative products make this partnership significant. We enthusiastically look forward to joining forces to achieve the mutual task of insect management in agriculture."

About Syngenta Crop Protection

Syngenta Crop Protection is a leader in agricultural innovation, bringing breakthrough technologies and solutions that enable farmers to grow productively and sustainably. We offer a leading portfolio of crop protection solutions for plant and soil health, as well as digital solutions that transform the decision-making capabilities of farmers. Our 17,900 employees serve to advance agriculture in more than 90 countries around the world. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and is part of the Syngenta Group. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta, www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/syngenta.

About Lavie Bio Ltd

Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd., aims to improve food quality, sustainability, and agriculture productivity through the introduction of microbiome-based ag-biological products. Lavie Bio utilizes a proprietary computational predictive platform, the BDD platform, powered by Evogene's proprietary MicroBoost AI tech-engine, harnessing the power of big data, artificial intelligence, and advanced informatics, for the discovery, optimization and development of bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide products.

For more information, please visit www.lavie-bio.com

About Evogene Ltd

Evogene (Nasdaq: EVGN, TASE: EVGN) is a computational biology company aiming to revolutionize the development of life-science based products by utilizing cutting edge technologies to increase the probability of success while reducing development time and cost. Evogene established three unique tech-engines - MicroBoost AI, ChemPass AI and GeneRator AI – leveraging Big Data and Artificial Intelligence and incorporating deep multidisciplinary understanding in life sciences. Each tech-engine is focused on the discovery and development of products based on one of the following core components: microbes (MicroBoost AI), small molecules (ChemPass AI), and genetic elements (GeneRator AI).

Evogene uses its tech-engines to develop products through subsidiaries and strategic partnerships. Evogene's subsidiaries currently utilize the tech-engines to develop human microbiome-based therapeutics by Biomica, ag-biologicals by Lavie Bio, ag-chemicals by AgPlenus, medical cannabis products by Canonic and castor varieties, for the biofuel and other industries, by Casterra. For more information, please visit: www.evogene.com

Syngenta’s Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as ‘expect’, ‘would’, ‘will’, ‘potential’, ‘plans’, ‘prospects’, ‘estimated’, ‘aiming’, ‘on track’ and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

©2024 Syngenta. Rosentalstrasse 67, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.

Lavie Bio and Evogene’s Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" relating to future events. These statements may be identified by words such as "may", "could", "expects", "hopes" "intends", "anticipates", "plans", "believes", "scheduled", "estimates", "demonstrates" or words of similar meaning. For example, Syngenta, Evogene and its subsidiaries are using forward-looking statement in this press release when they discuss Lavie Bio’s ability to rapidly identify and optimize bio-insecticide candidates, the ability of the parties to bring novel modes of action in the growers’ toolbox to combat insect resistance and to develop impactful bio-insecticide product. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance or achievements of Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the current war between Israel and Hamas and any worsening of the situation in Israel such as further mobilizations or escalation in the northern border of Israel, and those risk factors contained in Evogene's reports filed with the applicable securities authority. In addition, Evogene and its subsidiaries rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities, such as their field-trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240220094490/en/

Syngenta contact

Michelle Ng

Media Relations, Syngenta Group

michelle.ng@syngenta.com



Evogene contact

Rachel Pomerantz Gerber

Head of Investor Relations at Evogene

Rachel.pomerantz@evogene.com

Tel: +972-8-9311901

Source: Syngenta Crop Protection

FAQ

What is the collaboration between Syngenta Crop Protection and Lavie Bio Ltd. about?

The collaboration aims to discover and develop new biological insecticidal solutions to combat the economic impact of insect damage on crops.

What are the key benefits of the collaboration for both companies?

Lavie Bio's technology platform will be used to identify and optimize bio-insecticide candidates, while Syngenta will provide global research, development, and commercialization capabilities.

Why is combating insect damage important for global agriculture?

Insect damage costs the global economy an estimated $70 billion annually and is expected to worsen with increasing resistance to available insecticides and the spread of invasive insect risks due to global warming.

Who is the Global Head of Research at Syngenta Crop Protection?

Camilla Corsi is the Global Head of Research at Syngenta Crop Protection.

What are the goals of the collaboration between Lavie Bio and Syngenta?

The goal is to develop impactful bio-insecticide products using Lavie Bio's computational capabilities and Syngenta's experience in product development and commercialization.