Team:UZurich/Entrepreneurship

• iGEM UZurich 2021

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• Project
  • Description
  • Simple Description
  • Design
  • Results
  • Proof of Concept
  • Best Plant Synthetic Biology

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• Lab
  • Experiments
  • Engineering Success
  • Notebook
  • Measurement

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• Human Practices
  • Integrated Human Practices
  • Implementation
  • Communication
  • Education
  • Sustainability
  • Entrepreneurship

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• Team
  • Team
  • Attributions
  • Contribution
  • Collaboration
  • Sponsors

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• Parts

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• Awards

Best Supporting Entrepreneurship

1. Introduction

We started this project with the hope of finding a novel approach to protect plants from pathogens. As our laboratory results show, we are able to induce an immune response in plants with the help of our engineered OMVs. When we interviewed local farmers and industrial vegetable producers, most of them indicated that they would indeed be interested in trying out our technology. The success in the laboratory and the positive feedback by target customers spurred us on to analyze the pesticide market, and to identify if our technology would be competitive enough for commercial viability.
Below you can find a short introduction into our project, followed by a market assessment and financial assessment of our technology. Lastly, there is an outlook and a description of our next steps.

2. The Source of Value

2.1 The Problem

With roughly 1’950 tons of pesticides used annually in Switzerland [1] having negative impacts on the health of humans, biodiversity and soil quality, it’s clear that alternatives need to be found. Additionally, studies conducted by Agroscope [2] which observed a clear correlation between the amount of different pesticides used, and the reduction of symbiotes in the ground such as mycorrhizal fungi, show that we are eroding away the basis needed for a sustainable agriculture.
Producers also often share a similar view on the issue between each other, as they are open to reducing the amount phytosanitary products, but the lack of cost efficient, ecologically sound and easy to use alternatives remain scarce. Hence, an alternative that fulfills these requirements is beginning to show demand.

2.2 The Solution

To reduce the general amount of pesticides used is therefore a desirable outcome. And whilst alternatives such as biopesticides constitute a solution that organic farmers may use instead of more conventional synthetic ones, the problem remains that there is consequently a so-called selective pressure on pathogens.
This selective pressure favors mutations in pathogens that allow them to circumvent pesticides aimed at their elimination. As Beat Keller, a professor of molecular plant biology and phytopathology put it: „Globally, genetic engineering today is mainly used by big companies. They focus a lot on the aspect of herbicide resistance and of course, the use of herbicides is in principle somewhat problematic.“ [3]
Hence, instead of applying selective pressure on pathogens with pesticides then, we boost the plants' immune response at the appropriate time to eliminate the pathogens. This is a more sustainable solution in the long term, as it is less prone to mutations in pathogens, rendering some pesticides ineffective. (Of course, the selective pressure is only relieved if we don't take away a pathogen's only food source.) Our project envisions to use Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) with the aim of triggering Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), which can elicit an un-specific immune response, priming the plant to defend itself more actively short-term.

2.3 The Underlying Magic

Using Vesicles, by default natural buddings of the bacteria, we can solve several problems at once.
On the one hand, the aforementioned selective pressure on pathogens is alleviated as a result of boosting the plants immune response, rather than eliminating the problematic pathogen.
On the other hand, the need for potentially harmful pesticides can be reduced, if not eliminated completely, and therefore the long-term negative effects on health and soil quality can be alleviated.
Read more about the project here.