More than one dozen novel microbes identified
for row crops suffering from extreme weather
conditions
TEL
AVIV and REHOVOT, Israel, July 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ICL (NYSE: ICL) (TASE: ICL), a
leading global specialty minerals company, and Lavie Bio Ltd., a
leading ag-biologicals company and subsidiary of Evogene Ltd.
(Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), today announced a significant
milestone in their collaboration to develop bio-stimulant solutions
for key row crops facing various abiotic stresses. By leveraging
artificial intelligence (AI), Lavie
Bio has computationally identified more than a dozen novel
microbial candidates believed to have commercial viability as
bio-stimulants for crops grown under extreme weather conditions,
including drought. While this process can normally take
several years, the collaboration achieved success within its first
12 months – thanks to Lavie Bio's
proprietary Biology Driven Design (BDD) technology platform.
The ambitious AI-driven program, jointly developed by ICL and
Lavie Bio, has identified novel
microbe-based biological solutions that, when combined with
fertilizers, are expected to be a game changer in overcoming
various abiotic stresses under different weather conditions. By
focusing on bio-stimulants that enhance crop resilience to such
conditions, the collaboration has aimed to deliver tangible
benefits to farmers, including a 5% to 10% increase in yield, on
average.
As part of this AI-driven achievement, more than a dozen novel
microbe candidates, which met the product requirements for
efficacy, stability, shelf life and fertilizer compatibility, were
computationally identified and verified in multiple greenhouse
trials. The microbes were discovered and validated using
Lavie Bio's BDD technology platform,
powered by Evogene's MicroBoost AI tech-engine, and achieved
a remarkable prediction rate from computer modelling to greenhouse
validation – a rate ten times higher than the industry standard,
according to company estimates.
This success paves the way for field trials in both the U.S. and
Brazil in the second half of 2024,
with results available by year-end. Lavie
Bio will continue to leverage AI to drive product
development and optimization, while ICL will guide the development
and lead the way to product commercialization. The parties aim to
start the regulatory process in 2026, just three years from program
initiation.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Lavie Bio in the search for a novel solution to
address a significant and proven market need in regions strategic
to ICL," said Dr. Elinor Erez, vice
president of R&D for ICL Growing Solutions. "This partnership
exemplifies our commitment to pioneering advanced and unique
biostimulant solutions for our customers, which aligns with our
strategic vision to lead in agricultural innovation and
sustainability and ensuring food security. The discovery process
yielded candidate microbes that were validated in the green house,
thanks to Lavie Bio's exceptional
capabilities and their structured and efficient discovery platform.
We are excited to move forward to field trials and are confident
any future novel product will revolutionize how the agricultural
community approaches plant resilience and
productivity."
"We are very proud of the collaborations' significant progress,
which was achieved by leveraging artificial intelligence to drive
rapid advancements in our research," said Amit Noam, CEO of Lavie
Bio. "Using ICL's deep agricultural expertise has been
essential in focusing Lavie Bio's
discovery efforts and has enabled us to advance to field trials in
multiple target geographies quickly. Our team did a remarkable job
of pushing our discovery process and platform to new heights,
continuously improving computational accuracy and reducing both the
time and cost to market for our novel products."
Recent research underscores the economic impact of climate
change on global row crops, with extreme weather events, like
droughts and floods, potentially causing billions in annual losses.
Reports from the World Economic Forum and World Meteorological
Organization highlight the rising costs, noting that extreme
weather and climate-related disasters resulted in $4.3 trillion in losses from 1970 to
2021.[1][2][3] The agricultural sector urges the adoption of
resilient strategies, technological innovations, and policy
interventions to safeguard food security and mitigate economic
vulnerabilities.
About ICL
ICL Group is a leading global specialty minerals company, which
creates impactful solutions for humanity's sustainability
challenges in the food, agriculture and industrial markets.
ICL leverages its unique bromine, potash and phosphate resources,
its global professional workforce, and its sustainability focused
R&D and technological innovation capabilities, to drive the
company's growth across its end markets. ICL shares are dual
listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tel Aviv Stock
Exchange (NYSE and TASE: ICL). The company employs more than
12,000 people worldwide, and its 2023 revenues totaled
approximately $7.5 billion.
For more information, visit ICL's website at icl-group.com.
To access ICL's interactive CSR report, visit
icl-group-sustainability.com.
You can also learn more about ICL on Facebook, LinkedIn,
YouTube, X and Instagram.
About Lavie Bio Ltd.
Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of
Evogene Ltd., aims to improve food quality, sustainability, and
agriculture productivity through the introduction of
microbiome-based ag-biological products. Lavie Bio utilizes a proprietary computational
predictive platform, the BDD platform, powered by Evogene's
proprietary MicroBoost AI tech-engine, harnessing the power of big
data, artificial intelligence, and advanced informatics, for the
discovery, optimization and development of bio-stimulant and
bio-pesticide products.
For more information, please visit www.lavie-bio.com.
About Evogene Ltd.
Evogene is a computational biology company aiming to
revolutionize the development of life-science based products by
utilizing cutting edge technologies to increase probability of
success while reducing development time and cost. Evogene
established three unique technological engines – MicroBoost AI,
ChemPass AI and GeneRator AI – leveraging Big Data and
Artificial Intelligence and incorporating deep multidisciplinary
understanding in life sciences. Each technological engine is
focused on the discovery and development of products based on one
of the following core components: microbes (MicroBoost AI), small
molecules (ChemPass AI), and genetic elements (GeneRator AI).
Evogene uses its technological engines to develop products through
subsidiaries and with strategic partners. Currently, Evogene's main
subsidiaries utilize the technological engines to develop human
microbiome-based therapeutics by Biomica Ltd., ag-chemicals by
AgPlenus Ltd. and ag-biologicals by Lavie Bio Ltd. For more
information, please visit www.evogene.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains statements that constitute
forward–looking statements, many of which can be identified by the
use of forward–looking words such as "anticipate," "believe,"
"could," "expect," "should," "plan," "intend," "estimate" and
"potential," among others.
Forward-looking statements appear in this press release and
include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the company's
intent, belief or current expectations. For example, Evogene,
including any of its subsidiaries, and ICL are using
forward-looking statement in this press release when they discuss
the development of bio-stimulant solutions for key row crops facing
various abiotic stresses, that can be a game changer in overcoming
various abiotic stresses, the conduction of field trials in leading
agricultural markets in the second half of 2024, and commencement
of regulatory process in 2026. Forward-looking statements are based
on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information
currently available to management. Such statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ
materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking
statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to:
estimates, forecasts and statements as to management's expectations
with respect to, among other things, business and financial
prospects, financial multiples and accretion estimates, future
trends, plans, strategies, positioning, objectives and
expectations, general economic, market and business conditions,
supply chain and logistics disruptions, energy storage and electric
vehicle growth, the potential for new COVID-19 variants, global
unrest and conflict, governmental and regulatory requirements and
actions by governmental authorities, including changes in
government policy, changes in environmental, tax and other laws or
regulations and the interpretation thereof, and war or acts of
terror and/or political, economic and military instability in
Israel and its region, including
the current state of war declared in Israel and any resulting disruptions to supply
and production chains. As a result of the foregoing, readers
should not place undue reliance on the forward–looking statements
contained in this press release concerning the timing of the
transaction, or other more specific risks and uncertainties facing
ICL, such as those set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of its
Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on March
14, 2024, as such risk factors may be updated from time to
time in its Current Reports on Form 6-K and other filings ICL makes
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time
nor those risk factors contained in Evogene's reports filed with
the applicable securities authority, including those set forth in
the "Risk Factors" section of its Annual Report on Form 20-F filed
on March 28, 2024.
Forward-looking statements refer only to the date they are made,
and the company does not undertake any obligation to update them in
light of new information or future developments or to publicly
release any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later
events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events.
[1]
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/11/climate-crisis-cost-global-economies/
[2]
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/one-more-reason-for-rapid-climate-action-economics/
[3]
https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/economic-costs-of-weather-related-disasters-soars-early-warnings-save-lives
Investor and Press Contact – Global
Peggy Reilly Tharp
VP, Global Investor Relations
+1-314-983-7665
Peggy.ReillyTharp@icl-group.com
Investor and Press Contact - Israel
Adi Bajayo
ICL Spokesperson
+972-3-6844459
Adi.Bajayo@icl-group.com
Investor Relations Contact
Rachel Pomerantz Gerber I Head of
Investor Relations at Evogene
rachel.pomerantz@evogene.com I Tel: +972-8-9311901
Logo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/945133/4816630/lavie_bio.jpg
Logo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1947468/4816626/Evogene.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2463486/ICL.jpg
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/icl-and-lavie-bio-leverage-artificial-intelligence-to-make-significant-advancement-in-development-of-yield-increasing-bio-stimulants-302199316.html
SOURCE Lavie Bio