AgPitch18 names AgriMetis as finalist in their top five emerging companies

The world needs a more innovative approach to combining both biology and chemistry to make novel, effective chemical structures that can lower production costs and/or increase food output. It typically takes hundreds of millions of dollars for traditional agricultural chemical companies (ag chem) to discover, develop and deliver one ag chem product.

By harnessing a virtual network of global researchers, AgriMetis contracts various research organizations and institutions, which allow them to identify potential molecules that target certain pests, some of which may have been abandoned by the large agribusinesses. They then work on creating viable products from them, combining biological transformations, such as metabolic engineering, directed evolution, or enzymatic catalysis, with traditional synthetic chemistry.

AgriMetis is combining biology and chemistry to lower the cost of agricultural products currently on the market. AgriMetis has a patent for L-Glufosinate (Glu-L), The method for the production of Glu-L allows for the efficient and cost-effective manufacturing of substantially pure L-glufosinate, the active isomer of racemic glufosinate.  “This product exemplifies how our company’s combination of biology and chemistry can lead to differentiated active ingredients in a well-studied agrichemical space,” said Brian Green, AgriMetis Vice President of Research and Development.

The Glu-L product is an improved alternative to the commercial racemic glufosinate being manufactured and sold. This is another milestone in AgriMetis delivering innovation to the global agrichemical market.  Current industry trends show that farmers are switching from the Glyphosate (Round-up) due to field resistance issues and negative press. As a result, there is an uptick in the usage of the more expensive Glufosinate. This presents an optimal opportunity for the AgriMetis product, Glu-L.

Recent advances in the fields of biology, biochemistry and chemistry have expanded the possibilities to identify and enhance the production of natural products. This includes products derived from, or inspired by, natural products. AgriMetis has the ability to rapidly (and cost effectively) screen and manipulate biological pathways, (and whole genomes), with unprecedented speed and precision. The net result is the ability to generate never-before-produced molecular scaffolds, while enhancing efficiency of production and biological assessment of large groups of compounds. AgriMetis uses a cost-effective, contracting approach to access the leading, global experts in these fields and rapidly advance new molecules and processes.

AgriMetis completed a Series B raise of $23.5 million in 2017.