peptide-based biopesticides the future of sustainable
TRANSCRIPT
Peptide-based Biopesticides –
the Future
of Sustainable & Efficient Crop Protection
Starts Today
Andy Renz, VP BD, Vestaron Corporation
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Chemical Insecticides – A Failed Concept?
105
256
1996 2010
49
14
1996 2010
Heading towards
USD 400M by 2020
1 new major mode-of-
action discovered per
decade
Cost of product
development USD MNumber of molecules in R&D
Development costs
rising
Difficult to find new
molecules
2
Chemical Insecticides – A Failed Concept?
3
Major insecticides taken from the market
• 2015: Dow’s EPA-approved Sulfoxaflor (sulfoximine) was withdrawn by federal appeals court due to bee toxicity and environmental risks
• 2016: EPA cancels registration of Bayer’s Flubendiamidedue to environmental risks
• 4/2018: EU bans three neonicotinoid products
• Development costs >USD300M each
Biological Insecticides – The Future?
Global biopesticide market forecasted to grow from $2.8B in 2017
to $6B in 2023 (CAGR 14%)
Major segments: Bioinsecticides in NA / Microorganisms / Bt’s
4
Today biopesticides are only 5% of
total crop protection market, but
around 2050 expected to be equal
to synthetics and then surpass them.
The Challenges for Biological Pesticides
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• Efficacy/pest control: As efficient as synthetics?
• Stability in the field: Up to 10 days?
• Production: low COGS? Scalable? Universal?
• Product stability/shelf life: more than one year?
• Application: With standard equipment?
Synthetics vs. Microbials
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Synthetics
Cost to develop >$300M
Time to market 10 years
Safety profile problematic
Insect control 95%
Stability in the fieldoften
7-10 days
Production costvery low cost
at large scale
Production systemstandard chemical
plant
Product stability excellent
Microbials
$10M
3-5 years
excellent
60-80%
often
3-4 days
variable
different from
product to product
variable
Synthetics vs. Peptides vs. Microbials
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Synthetics
Cost to develop >$300M
Time to market 10 years
Safety profile problematic
Insect control 95%
Stability in the fieldoften
7-10 days
Production costvery low cost
at large scale
Production systemstandard chemical
plant
Product stability excellent
$10M
3-5 years
excellent
95%
7-10 days
scalable,
low cost
universal
fermentation
very good
Microbials
$10M
3-5 years
excellent
60-80%
often
3-4 days
variable
different from
product to product
variable
Vestaron at a Glance
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• Leader in peptide-based biological pesticides
• 1st product launched early this month
• 2nd product launch scheduled for Q1/2019
• Rich pipeline of differentiating, new AIs
• Multiple products – one proprietary, scalable, yeast-
based production system
• Advanced GM trait program for insect-resistant crops
• Proof-of-concept as Bt-rescue trait
• EPA endorsed regulatory path
Rich Pipeline of New, Differentiating AIs
Today: based on insecticidal venom peptides
Stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 108
ExploratoryGeneration Development Pre-Commercial
VST-06340 (SPEAR®)
VST-67XX
VST-61XX
VST-65XX
VST-72XX
VST-70XX
73XX
Tomorrow: Expand product pipeline beyond insecticidal peptides
Successful 750 liter fermentation; tox studies
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Our 1st Product Family:
The power of synthetics, the safety of biologicals
• Natural ICK-type peptide, 40 amino acid, new mode-of-action
• Broad pest killing spectrum (curative, not preventive)
• Safe for humans, mammals, birds, fish, honeybees & beneficials
• Certified sustainable
• 0 days Pre-harvest interval, 4 hours re-entry interval
• No phytotoxicity, no toxic residues (MRL)
Greenhouse version SPEAR®-T launched last week
Field version available in Q1/2019
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Two routes of entry
• Contact – for existing insects at the time of spray
(through spiracles/surface to volume ratio);
Used for the greenhouse product.
• Oral ingestion – for insects that appear post-spray
(synergistically enhanced by Bt);
Used for the field product.
The Performance Challenge: Bioavailability
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SPEAR®-T: Full Control of All Major Greenhouse Pests
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
UT 2DAT 3DAT
Tota
l N
um
be
r o
f W
FT
pe
r 4 C
ard
s
Days After Treatment
Kalamazoo Glasshouse North Range
VST6330 and Pedastel + Avid vs. Western Flower Thrips
2nd Spray Application September 2014
Pedestal + Avid
Spear-T
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Western Flower Thrips on Ornamentals Two Spotted Spider Mites on Greenhouse Celery
Grower Trial, Kalamazoo greenhouse; 2 spray applications,
Similar control levels against whiteflies and aphids
-Bt Combination Product in the Field
Mortality
Bt Levels Decreasing
Peptide Levels Decreasing
Peptide + Bt
7-10 days
Bt
100
80
- Allows full control of Lepidoptera (Btk) and Coleoptera (Btt)
- Reduces usage rates of SPEAR® 20-fold (!)
- Synergy with Bt proven in the field
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SPEAR®-Btk: Arizona Grower Trial
0
10
20
30
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60
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90
100
Marketable Celery Heads
UTC Spear-C Coragen Radiant Proclaim
% M
ark
eta
ble
He
ad
s A B B B B
Three consecutive sprays with Spear-Btk or industry standards at label rates followed by harvest and evaluation of marketable heads. Misc. Lepidopteran infestation
Ryanodine Spinetoram Avermectin
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50 gallons/acre
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SPEAR® + Bt
Control Bt-Resistant Insect Pests
P. xylostella
(Diamondback
moth) HD-1 is
800x resistant against Bt
UTC Btk 0.5ppt Spear 1ppt Spear 2ppt Spear 0.5ppt Spear 1ppt Spear 2ppt Spear
+ Btk +Btk +Btk
Proprietary, Versatile Manufacturing Process
• Peptide production through fermentation of a modified,
proprietary strain of a food-grade yeast
• Robust, scalable production process; few post-fermentation steps
• 2 EPA-registered SPEAR® formulations: WG & LC
• Successful 25,000-liter fermentations
• Next generation production strains with enhanced growth
rates & even higher peptide yields in development
• New AIs will be produced in the same expression system
Fermentation Filtration & concentration Add preservative, bottling/packaging
Formulation & spray drying
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Summary
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• Peptide-based biopesticides combine the power of
synthetics with the safety & sustainability of biologicals.
• Vestaron solved the key challenges for novel
biopesticides: performance, production & deployment.
• The SPEAR® greenhouse product controls all 4 major
greenhouse pests and is available now.
• The SPEAR® field product (available in Q1/2019) is a
combination with Btk. Synergistic effects between both
AIs allow full control of Lepidoptera, even Bt-resistant
strains, allowing a rescue of the Bt franchise.
• Vestaron’s pipeline of peptide-based biopesticides has
the potential to revolutionize the pesticide industry
Andy Renz, VP BD, Vestaron Corporation
+1-919-649-4916
Harnessing the Power of Peptides
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The Power of Synthetics,
The Safety and Sustainability of Biologicals.
Many thanks!