Pluton Signs Research and License Agreement with Terramera

Pluton signs research and license agreement with Terramera to test novel discoveries using bacteria for insect control.

St. Louis Based Pluton Biosciences Signs Research and License Agreement with Terramera to Test Novel Discoveries Using Bacteria for Insect Control.

Pluton Biosciences, a biotechnology company in St. Louis, Mo., has used its Micromining™ research platform to discover two new bacteria with novel insecticidal properties. In April, the company formalized its discovery by filing a U.S. Provisional Patent Application on the insect inhibitory microbial composition of bacteria “PLU1” and “PLU2”. Pluton has now entered into an agreement with Terramera, the global leader in Technology for Clean Food, to test these and other Pluton discoveries. Terramera will combine Pluton’s discoveries with Terramera’s Actigate™ Targeted Performance technology, and test them for commercial viability as a natural control against three key classes of agricultural pests. Pluton utilized Micromining™ to find, isolate and identify PLU1 and PLU2 by testing selected populations of microbes against larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Aedes has made news in recent years as the primary carrier of the Zika virus. Additionally, Aedes is a vector for transmitting yellow and dengue fevers and the viral disease Chikungunya.

Micromining is an industry-disrupting platform that allows Pluton’s team to discover new microbial solutions rapidly and inexpensively by “mining” microbes from the soil. It took Pluton’s team just three months to discover the new bacteria and their insecticidal properties. For comparison, over the past thirty years, only two bacteria have been used worldwide as insecticides against mosquitoes. “I am thrilled that the Pluton and Terramera teams are partnering together. Our core competency is discovery of new and useful bioactives while Terramera excels at targeting improved performance of bioactives to create environmentally sound products with superior efficacy. I couldn’t ask for a better match for our first collaboration,” said Charlie Walch, CEO of Pluton Biosciences. As Terramera finds combinations of Pluton’s and Terramera’s technologies that are commercially viable, Terramera will exercise an exclusive commercial license with Pluton to continue to develop those leads into new biopesticides for use in agriculture. “

We are excited about this opportunity”, said Joe Sobek, GM for Ag Innovation at Terramera. “Both companies are committed to delivering sustainable new tools that significantly improve how we can protect people and crops against a wide variety of pests and diseases. We are confident that bringing these two technology platforms together will result in exceptional, sustainable new products.” Terramera is Pluton’s partner in agriculture; however, Pluton intends to develop their discovery into a mosquito larvicide. “Mosquitoes kill over 725,000 people a year worldwide, making them the number one killer of humans in the animal kingdom,” said Walch. “Pluton has identified additional partners to help turn our discovery into a larvicide that can safely improve mosquito control efforts both at home and abroad.”

For information about Terramera, contact: Jessica Wolford Director of Corporate Priorities | Terramera 604-409-8070 jessica.wolford@terramera.com