Crop protection chemistry is a cornerstone of productivity for modern agriculture. Sustainable innovation is required to deliver products that address key challenges in a rapidly evolving agricultural environment: pest resistance, changing pest patterns due to climate change, and the need to create chemistries that are safe to people the environment. We built a scalable target-based platform (ENKOMPASS™) to address those needs. Our platform can efficiently identify novel chemical starting points and rapidly optimize them into commercial candidates. DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening enables us to identify novel molecules that act on specific molecular targets from a large and diverse pool of chemistry. Deep exploration of DEL datasets is enabled by our data analysis and machine learning capabilities. Artificial intelligence is used to accelerate decision making and structure-based design enables precision optimization. Combined, these tools enable the rapid development of Hit chemistries into Leads and Candidates. The success of one of our early projects illustrates the power of the ENKOMPASS™ platform. We conducted a DEL screen using plant protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO), the site of action for the class of successful PPO-inhibiting herbicides. This screen was designed to identify molecules that both bound at the wild-type enzyme’s active site and overcome common mutations conferring resistance to PPO-inhibiting herbicides. An optimization program employing structure-based design produced a molecule with differentiated, commercial attributes in just 11 months from initial Hit confirmation. This molecule has undergone 3 seasons of field testing and is currently in advanced characterization. Our success in developing PPO-inhibiting herbicides is not an isolated experience. We have screened over 30 targets to date and built a pipeline of novel herbicide, fungicide, insecticide and nematicide chemistries. Over 50% of our targets are new modes of action. Our ENKOMPASS™ platform continues to evolve, incorporating innovations in DEL, data analysis, and other emerging technologies in order to continuously accelerate the discovery and development of novel crop protection chemistries.

Target-based discovery of crop protection chemistries powered by DNA-Encoded libraries

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.