Rapid gene discovery platform for novel plant disease resistance traits
Fortiphyte's platform rapidly identifies novel disease resistance genes from diverse plant species, enabling development of crops with durable resistance to bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. Validated in tomato and soybean with seed company partnerships underway.
Overview
Fortiphyte offers a rapid gene discovery platform that unlocks the vast, largely unexplored genetic diversity of over 400,000 known plant species to identify novel disease resistance traits. By screening a wide range of source plants, including perennial species, the platform dramatically expands the diversity of available resistance traits and accelerates identification compared to traditional breeding methods. These genes can then be applied to commercial crop varieties through advanced breeding, gene editing, and bioengineering techniques, producing crops with strong and durable disease resistance.
This approach addresses critical agricultural challenges including yield losses caused by bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens in major crops such as tomatoes and soybeans. Growing disease-resistant crop varieties is the most effective, economical, and environmentally sustainable method of disease control, reducing dependence on chemical fungicides and antibiotics while minimizing agricultural runoff and chemical residues in food.
Technical specifications
Key platform capabilities:
- Rapid identification of novel resistance traits against target pathogens from a wide range of source plants, including perennial species
- Applicable to any crop and most pathogen species
- Enables stacking of successful traits to improve durability of resistance
- Genes identified have no negative impact on plant health
Validated disease resistance results:
- Five genes identified with activity against bacterial pathogens, including Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas, and Ralstonia
- Two genes identified with activity against fungal pathogens, including Phakopsora pachyrhizi (soybean rust)
- Tomato variety developed with resistance to multiple bacterial pathogens, performing well in field trials
- Soybean variety developed with resistance to soybean rust, showing positive results in growth chamber experiments
- Potential future application to insect resistance, though not yet tested
Technology readiness level
The platform has demonstrated strong validation across multiple crop-pathogen combinations. A tomato variety with bacterial pathogen resistance has completed field trials successfully and is currently being tested and commercialized with a seed company partner. A soybean variety with resistance to soybean rust has shown positive results in growth chamber experiments, with greenhouse trials planned for 2023 and field trials scheduled for 2024 in collaboration with an industry partner. The technology is ready for expanded application against additional pathogens of interest specified by partners, with gene sequences and functional validation already established for multiple targets.
About Fortiphyte
Fortiphyte is an agricultural biotechnology company that develops disease-resistant crops to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability while reducing chemical usage. By leveraging a rapid gene discovery platform, the company identifies natural disease resistance traits from wild plant species. These traits are applied to commercial crop varieties through advanced breeding, gene editing, and bioengineering techniques. The company's technology is designed to detect pathogen attacks and mount effective endogenous immune responses, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical fungicides and antibiotics.
This work addresses critical agricultural challenges, such as yield losses caused by fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens in major crops like tomatoes and soybeans. By providing these resistance traits to seed companies, Fortiphyte aims to improve harvest reliability, reduce chemical residues in food, and minimize environmental impacts like agricultural runoff. Supported by organizations including the National Science Foundation, the company collaborates with industry partners to bring these advancements from the laboratory to commercial farming operations.
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