Project description
A phage-based solution against fire blight disease in apples
Fire blight disease, which commonly affects apples, is caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora (Ea) and is responsible for severe economic losses in apple production. The EU-funded PhageFire project will develop an integrated phage-based solution for apple producers to effectively control Ea infections. The solution will also reduce dependence on dangerous chemicals and antibiotics. The consortium consists of partners with high levels of specialisation in the production, authorisation and commercialisation of phage-based pesticides as well as top researchers in phage therapy and experts in the design of natural solutions for the plant protection sector. The project will develop and commercialise PhageFire as a pioneering phage-based biopesticide in Europe, offering apple producers an effective prevention and treatment option against Ea disease.
Objective
The PhageFire project is devised to satisfy the unmet need for a secure and reliable solution to control fire blight (FB) disease in pome fruits caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora (Ea). The Spanish pome fruit producer, Peras de Rincón de Soto has partnered with Enviroinvest (Hungary) consultancy company expert in production, authorization and commercialization of phage-based pesticides, ZHAW (Switzerland) – a top research centre in phage therapy and Kimitec Group specialist in the design, development and commercialization of natural solutions for the plant protection sector. Together, PhageFire Consortium members aim to further develop an integrated phage-based solution enabling pome fruit farmers to effectively control Ea infections, reducing both production and economic losses. In addition, this will also result on reduced reliance on harmful chemicals (mainly copper-based products) and antibiotics. Based on our advanced current development of phages cocktails and their successful results on the safety and benefits of phages, our goal is to develop and commercialise PhageFire as the first-in-class phage-based biopesticide in Europe providing effective prevention and treatment against Ea infections. In order to take the project forward and reach product commercialization, a next estimated investment of €3.9 M is needed. The successful consecution of the FTI funding will help to cover the 70% (€2.97 M) while the Consortium partners will assume the 30% (€0.93 M) with own funds and the potential economic help from private investors. Considering the increasing demand for FB protection methods, PhageFire biopesticide will represent a great business opportunity (€22.12 M net profit between 2023-2027, ROI 4.66) by filling a highly profitable niche in the growing biopesticide market (CAGR 14.93%, €9.31 B by 2025). Furthermore, the scalable potential of phages will also enable targeting new horizons in plant disease protection.
Fields of science
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureagronomyplant protection
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirology
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growing
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsantibiotics
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
26550 Rincon De Soto
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.