Nanoparticle delivery system for enhanced agricultural biological efficacy

Overview

Plentrance™ is a nanoparticle-based delivery platform designed to transport biological active ingredients directly into plant cells by penetrating the intact cell wall. This capability addresses a core challenge in modern agriculture: many biological actives such as proteins, DNA constructs, and other biomolecules are highly effective in principle but cannot reach their intracellular targets because plant cell walls block their entry. By improving bioavailability, Plentrance™ allows formulators to achieve the same or greater efficacy with lower doses and to deploy actives that were previously unusable due to delivery limitations.

Technical specifications

• Cell wall penetration: Nanoparticles are engineered to cross intact plant cell walls and deliver cargo into the cytoplasm and nucleus.
• Protein delivery: Demonstrated intracellular delivery of functional proteins including GFP, mNeonGreen, and BSA in tobacco and ornamental rose cells.
• Nuclear localization: A nuclear localization signal enabled delivered proteins to reach the nucleus, confirming that cargo retains fluorescence and interacts with the host cell's intracellular trafficking machinery after encapsulation.
• DNA delivery: Encapsulation and delivery of a DNA construct encoding GFP resulted in successful host-cell fluorescence, demonstrating that the platform can mediate delivery of genetic material as well as proteins.
• Application flexibility: The platform is designed to be compatible with a range of biological actives and can be evaluated through field trials, greenhouse trials, or in-lab and in vitro tests depending on partner needs.

Technology readiness level

Plentrance™ has been validated at the laboratory scale for protein and DNA delivery into plant cells with intact cell walls. The next stage of development involves co-designed validation protocols with industry partners to evaluate efficacy of Plentrance™ formulations carrying partner-selected agricultural biologicals. Depending on the protocols chosen, validation timelines range from 3 to 12 months. The technology is positioned for collaborative pilot and co-development work with agricultural input companies seeking to enhance the performance of biological product portfolios.