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Private Company
Potentiators to enhance fungicide performance
  • Background
  • What we're looking for
  • What we can offer you
  • Q&A
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Background

Fungal pathogens pose a persistent challenge in both pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors, particularly as resistance to broad-spectrum fungicides continues to rise. Traditional fungicides, while effective, are increasingly met with resistance mechanisms that reduce their efficacy and longevity. This creates an urgent need for alternative strategies that can extend the utility of existing treatments. 

 

Natural and synthetic-derived chemistries can be potentiators for fungicides. These compounds exhibit anti-fungal activity only in combination with a fungicide but have no fungicide activity alone. Furthermore, each potentiator increases the potency of its respective fungicide against its fungal target(s), by possibly improving the bioavailability of the fungicide to the pathogen, offering another mode of action, and extending the window of disease protection.

What we're looking for

We are looking for potentiators that can provide the “second knockout punch” by improving the bioavailability of the fungicide, offering another mode of action, disabling a known resistance mechanism, and/or inhibiting cellular stress responses. Specifically, we want potentiators discovered through your chemical library screens combining sub-lethal doses of a fungicide against a laboratory fungal pathogen or a fungicide-resistant strain.

We want to collaborate with you to produce or synthesize these potentiator candidates and determine their efficacy combined with our proprietary fungicides, which fall within the chemistry and/or mode-of-action groups outlined below.

Solutions of interest include:
  • Potentiators intended for use in combination with fungicides from the following chemical classes: triazole, strobilurin, carboxamide, and phenylamide
  • Potentiators intended for use in combination with fungicides from the following mode-of-action targets: C14-demethylase in sterol biosynthesis (erg11/cyp51), quinone outside site inhibitors (QoI), succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs), or RNA polymerase I inhibitors
Our must-have requirements are:
  • Shows no fungicide or toxic activity independently, only in combination with a fungicide

  • Reduces minimum inhibitory concentration of the fungicide in checkerboard assays

  • Mode-of-action can be predicted or defined

  • Can be detected and quantified using an analytical method

  • Non-toxic to human cell lines

  • Ability to supply a minimum of 10 mg of sample upon request

Our nice-to-have's are:
  • Non-toxic to animal models
  • Viably produced via scale-up bioprocessing or chemical synthesis
What's out of scope:
  • Volatile or unstable compounds
Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):
Levels 1-9
What we can offer you
Eligible partnership models:
Sponsored researchCo-developmentSupply/purchaseLicensingCapstone projectFee-for-service
Benefits:
Sponsored Research
Funding is proposal dependent and could be in the range of $50-150K total for 6-12 months. Licensing of promising potentiators may be negotiated.
Expertise
Partners will have access to internal team/experts as appropriate.
Compounds and Reagents
Partner will be provided the relevant fungicides for evaluation under MTA.
Data
Partners can leverage the data set for additional insights regarding the solution.
Facilities and Services
Partners can send samples for analysis at our facilities.
Q&A with the company

The Q&A is now closed.

Sort by:
Q.
We have developed a class of active targeted fungicides, which can greatly improve the activity of fungicides and expand the fungicidal spectrum. Are you interested in this?
2
A.
Thank you for your interest. Yes, we'd gladly explore your offering if it fits our criteria. Please submit your proposal with specifics of your offering.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 22, 2025
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Our direction is pharma, but we already have a confirmed bactericidal effect of our nanodrugs (concentr.6 mg/ml) in relation to phytopathogenic bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv.campestris. Interested in cooperation, Reg.
2
A.
Thank you for you interest. Currently, we are not interested in bactericides. If your compound fits our requirements, please submit your proposal.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 22, 2025
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Hello, what level of purity do you ask for in the initial screens for potentiators? We have a natural products focus and have access to a wide range of extracts for testing. We would be very interested in such a project.
1
A.
Thank you for your interest. We are favoring >95% purity. Please submit your proposal with description of your natural products.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 22, 2025
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Would you consider a technology that increases water solubility of poorly soluble drugs as much 100,000-fold? It has a very favorable toxicity profile in mammals but has never been tested with fungicides or on plants.
1
A.
Thank you for your interest. Please submit your proposal outlining your vision on how your technology would address our challenge.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 22, 2025
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Hello, is there any flexibility on the submission date of July 1? Thanks
AU
Angus Urquhart, , University of Exeter
June 27, 2025
1
Q.
We have developed a synthestic SAR inducer without direct biocidal effect which primes crops for enhanced defense against a wide spectrum of pathogens. Is this of interest for you? Best regards
1
A.
Thank you for your interest. Yes, we'd gladly explore your synthetic SAR inducer. Please submit your proposal with specifics on how your synthetic SAR inducer could be applied.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
June 2, 2025
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
We have created, tested and patented a non-toxic nano-drug with such properties. There is nothing like it in the world. We give it absolutely free for testing and your trials. We are interested in cooperation. Regards
1
A.
Thank you for your interest. Please submit your proposal with specifics of your offering addressing our criteria.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 22, 2025
Is this response helpful?
0
0
A.
We have developed absolutely original nanopreparations and have the technology for their production. Our area of ​​application is Pharmaceuticals and health protection. They are non-toxic for living organisms (toxicity class VI), there are also results of official tests on the acute toxicity of our nanopreparations. We received a request and conducted research on the effectiveness of our nanopreparations on phytobacteria. We tested the effectiveness of the nanopreparations themselves, without any mixing with other drugs or substances. As a result, we received an official conclusion that the studied solutions of nanopreparations showed a bactericidal effect at a concentration of 6 mg / ml in relation to phytopathogenic bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. Fungicidal activity against Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata and Bipolaris sorokiniana was recorded at concentrations of 8-10 mg / ml, which is when the fungistatic effect was observed. At the same time, we have earlier studies that our nanopreparations in a concentration of 8 mg/ml also have a fungistatic effect on the diploid fungus Candida albicans (the causative agent of opportunistic infections in humans). Separately, it should be noted that we observe in vivo the process of increasing the effectiveness of the effect of standard medical drugs taken in parallel with the use of our nanopreparations. How it will manifest itself and in what concentrations when used in the agricultural sector and in combination with the fungicides you use - we cannot say. There is no way to check. If it is interesting - try it, we will give you the drug. With respect, and wishes to find a successful solution to the problem.
1
A.
Thank you for your interest. Yes, we'd gladly explore your offering if it fits our criteria. Please submit your proposal with specifics of your offering.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 29, 2025
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0
0
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