Non-dilutive funding to support development of novel biocontrol against bacterial plant diseases


GHENT, Belgium, Oct 1 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biotalys NV, a transformative food and crop protection company, today announced that it has been awarded a €1.1 million research grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). The grant will run over three years and will support the development of the Company’s novel protein-based bio-bactericides for the management of bacterial plant diseases.

Hilde Revets, CSO of Biotalys, commented, “We are very pleased with the financial support and recognition from VLAIO and their commitment to continue to stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation in Belgium. We have significantly invested in the build-out of our technology platform to generate novel and innovative protein-based biocontrol solutions to treat plant pests and diseases. The funding will allow us to accelerate our research and development activities of our protein-based biocontrol solutions with completely new mechanisms-of-action for the management of bacterial plant diseases, including cankers, blight and spots.”

Wim Ottevaere, CFO of Biotalys, commented, “Research grants are an attractive source of non-dilutive funding for our company and this is the second VLAIO grant we received this year, clearly demonstrating the innovative potential of our platform. Bacterial diseases cause major damage to food and crops around the world and there is an urgent need for novel and safe solutions with consistent high efficacy to protect crops and reduce food waste. We strongly believe that our bio-bactericide program has the potential to address these needs and we look forward to progressing this innovative biocontrol further in development.”

About Biotalys

Biotalys is a rapidly growing and transformative food and crop protection company developing a new generation of protein-based biocontrol solutions, shaping the future of sustainable and safe food supply. Based on its groundbreaking technology platform, Biotalys has developed a broad pipeline of effective and safe products that address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Combining the high-performance characteristics and consistency of chemicals with the clean safety profile of biologicals, Biotalys provides ideal crop protection agents for both pre- and post-harvest applications. Biotalys’ lead biofungicide, BioFun-1, has demonstrated consistent, high efficacy against major pests, such as Botrytis cinerea and powdery mildew, in a global fruit and vegetables field trial. The Company is on track to submit the registration dossiers later in 2020 and expects to launch BioFun-1 in the U.S. in 2022, followed by global market introductions. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has raised €61 million ($66m USD) to date from specialist international investors. The Company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.

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For further information, please contact

Marieke Vermeersch
Biotalys Corporate Communications Consultant
T: +32 (0)479 490 603
E: marieke.vermeersch@biotalys.com

Erica Camilo
Connexa Communications for Biotalys
T: +1 (610) 639 5644
E: erica@connexacommunications.com 

SOURCE : Biotalys

--BERNAMA