SINGAPORE (10 July): The Trendlines Group says its Bayer Trendlines Ag Innovation Fund has established EcoPhage - a new company focused on discovering and developing environmentally friendly products for disease control in agriculture.
The Ag Innovation Fund was established in 2016 in a collaborative partnership between Bayer CropScience and Trendlines to invest in agricultural technologies.
EcoPhage will leverage a disruptive technology for using bacteriophages -- viruses that attack bacteria -- for crop protection, and is also poised to develop effective, eco-friendly treatments against crop diseases.
Bacteriophages have been recognised as natural enemies of bacteria for decades; yet, there has been a lack of technology for pinpointing the “right” phage combination to effectively fight diseases.
“EcoPhage will be harvesting the natural power of bacteriophages to fight crop diseases. The company came together as the result of a year-long, intensive collaborative effort between Yeda, Bayer, and Trendlines,” says Steve Rhodes, chairman and CEO of Trendlines.
Shares in Trendlines closed flat at 8 cents on Wednesday.
