Novel olfactory ligands - improving nature's smells
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: Biological Chemistry & Crop Protection
Abstract
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Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Michael Birkett (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | Under previous BBSRC funding (BB/H017011/1), we (in collaboration with Cardiff University) successfully tested the hypothesis that, if an unnatural substrate for the enzyme that synthesizes a natural olfactory ligand is accepted, then the product is likely to demonstrate sufficient of the chemical space associated with the natural ligand to be active. This exciting finding opens up the possibility of using the method more widely to develop a completely novel approach for the rational design of highly potent olfactory ligands of interest to the cosmetic, food and beverage, agricultural pesticide and biocontrol sectors. The aim of this Follow-on-Fund Pathfinder project was to focus and understand where the commercial markets were for our technology, prior to applying to for BBSRC Follow-on-funding to undertake proof-of-concept studies. Follow-on-Fund Pathfinder funding was used to commission an external market appraisal and IP landscape analysis from IP Pragmatics Ltd. Based on this outcome, our commercial strategy was subsequently focused on the specific development of germacrene D analogues for crop protection, and consistent with this aim, a UK provisional patent application was filed (GB1500348.6), which is managed by Cardiff University, via its wholly owned subsidiary University College Cardiff Consultants Ltd, on behalf of Cardiff and Rothamsted. In addition, Cardiff University commissioned a market valuation and appraisal by Evolution Biosciences, focusing specifically on germacrene D analogues in crop protection. The reports have informed a subsequent Follow-on-Fund proposal which has been submitted and funded. |
| Exploitation Route | Globally, sustainable intensification of crop production systems requires the delivery of new crop protection tools via seed, ie. GM, and the enhancement of ecosystem services, i.e. beneficial natural enemies, from land set aside as natural habitats. The findings here underpin the practical development of new crop protection interventions based on chemical ecology, specifically plant defence signalling, and which can deliver crop protection via smart plants, sentinel technology and recruitment of ecosystem services i.e. beneficial natural enemy populations for conservation biological control. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Description | BBSRC Follow-on-Fund Scheme |
| Amount | £247,176 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/N012526/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 09/2017 |
| Description | Development of novel semiochemicals for crop protection |
| Amount | £551,216 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/R019681/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2018 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Description | BBSRC-FAPESP workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Attended BBSRC-FAPESP Joint Pump-Priming Awards for AMR and Insect Pest Resistance in Agriculture Partnership Building Workshop, FAPESP headquarters, Sao Paulo, 4-6 October 2017. Gave presentation "Smart Crop Protection". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | ERANET Workshop on Sustainable Tomato Production |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop at University of Nice, 13th July 2017. Gave presentation "Recruitment of Ecosystem Services for Pest Management using Smart Plants" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Institute Research Day presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Institute Research Day presentation, 9th May 2017 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | International Congress of Entomology Meeting 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited Keynote presentation at International Congress of Entomology Meeting, Orlando, USA, September 2016. "Prospects for Robust Insect Resistance in Crops Using Plant Genetic Engineering". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | International Symposium on Biotechnology and the Environment, |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2nd International Symposium on Biotechnology and the Environment, Pucon, Chile, 28 November - 2 December 2016 (invited plenary). "Vector/host interactions: new opportunities for protection of plants and vertebrate animals against arthropod vectored pathogens by exploiting stress related signalling" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Oral presentation at 3rd Agriscience Chemical Biology Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation at 3rd Agriscience Chemical Biology Forum, 31st March 2017. "Novel Semiochemicals for Crop Protection Through Synthetic Biology" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Oral presentation at Annual Meeting of the International Society for Chemical Ecology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation given at the 31st Annual Meeting of the International Society for Chemical Ecology, Stockholm, 1st July 2015. "Real-Time Management of Pests based on Chemical Ecology". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Visit by Bayer Distributors to Rothamsted; presentation given |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Visit by Bayer French distributors to Rothamsted, 16th June 2017. Presentation given "Smart/sentinel signalling for recruitment of beneficials" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |