Biotalys Achieves Strong Results in Field Trials with Second Biofungicide
BioFun-6 Candidate Shows Excellent Efficacy with Increased Potency
Ghent, March 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Press Release
Biotalys (Euronext Brussels: BTLS), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for sustainable crop protection, today announced strong performance from initial field trials with one of its lead candidates for BioFun-6, the company’s second biocontrol program against Botrytis and powdery mildew in fruits and vegetables.
The trial results demonstrated that the BioFun-6 AGROBODYTM candidate is an effective tool to protect crops against these key pathogens, at significantly lower dose rates than currently applicable for EVOCA™*, the company’s first biofungicide.
Kevin Helash, CEO of Biotalys, said: "We are very pleased with the outcome of these promising field trials, which further validate the potential of our AGROBODY technology platform to deliver highly effective protein-based crop protection solutions. The data support BioFun-6’s efficacy in controlling fungi at significantly reduced dosage rates, — a key milestone toward our goal of offering cost-effective, sustainable products to growers across diverse crops and pathogens. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has achieved and grateful for their dedication, bringing us closer to monetizing our portfolio while creating value for our growers, partners, and shareholders. "
The trials were commissioned by Biotalys and conducted in Europe and the U.S. by external contract research organisations (CRO’s). The BioFun-6 AGROBODY candidate was tested at different dose rates in grapes against Botrytis (grey mold), and in cucumbers and tomatoes against powdery mildew. BioFun-6 was compared with synthetic and biological solutions, both in a standard spray rotation program and as a stand-alone treatment.
The results showed that the BioFun-6 AGROBODY biocontrol can achieve the same level of performance as EVOCA at significantly lower dosage rates, highlighting the increased potency of the new candidate. When applied at 2/3 the dose rate of EVOCA, the tested BioFun-6 candidate proved to be a valid substitution to leading chemical products against Botrytis in grapes. Applied at half the dose rate of EVOCA, the tested candidate maintained the same disease suppression as EVOCA against powdery mildew in cucumber and outperformed a standard biological fungicide.** The first set of trials in tomatoes showed similar results.
Biotalys’ BioFun-6 program is addressing a current market of more than USD billion 1.2 in Europe and the US combined. The global market for biofungicides and bioinsecticides is expected to grow by approximately 12% per year, reaching more than USD 17 billion in 2030, representing nearly a quarter of the total market for fungicides and insecticides.*** Biotalys plans to test various BioFun-6 AGROBODY lead candidates in the field throughout 2025, while further assessing their producibility and scalability.
* EVOCA™: Pending regulatory review. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the European Union, the United States, or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale and no assurance can be given if and when registration will be obtained.
** In these first trials, BioFun-6 was not tested against a stand-alone synthetic product in powdery mildew in cucumber.
*** Sources: Company information, Dunham Trimmer.
About Biotalys
Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for the protection of crops and aiming to provide alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for a more sustainable and safer food supply. Based on its novel AGROBODY™ technology platform, Biotalys is developing a strong and diverse pipeline of effective product candidates with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has been listed on Euronext Brussels since July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.
For further information, please contact:
Toon Musschoot, Head of IR & Communication
T: +32 (0)9 274 54 00
E: IR@biotalys.com
Important notices
Biotalys, its business, prospects and financial position remain exposed and subject to risks and uncertainties. A description of and reference to these risks and uncertainties can be found in the annual report on the consolidated annual accounts published on the company’s website.
This announcement contains statements which are "forward-looking statements " or could be considered as such. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words ‘aim’, 'believe ', 'estimate ', 'anticipate ', 'expect ', 'intend ', 'may ', 'will ', 'plan ', 'continue ', 'ongoing ', 'possible ', 'predict ', 'plans ', 'target ', 'seek ', 'would ' or 'should ', and contain statements made by the company regarding the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are warned that none of these forward-looking statements offers any guarantee of future performance. Biotalys’ actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Biotalys makes no undertaking whatsoever to publish updates or adjustments to these forward-looking statements, unless required to do so by law.
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