Category: Blog

Bianca Forte, 30 October 2024

In our latest article, we discussed how the technology developed by plant biologists from Rothamsted Research and organic chemists from Oxford University earned us the Innovation & Excellence Award 2024 for Agriculture Chemical Manufacturer of the Year. Today, we are excited to share that we have secured funding from Innovate UK to launch a Large R&D Partnership to accelerate the development and commercialization of our first product: a T6P biostimulant to improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of wheat production in the UK.

Since launching SugaROx 3.5 years ago, we have developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for our T6P biostimulant and conducted wheat trials to evaluate its performance in the UK, Canada, the US, Germany and India. Our field results show that under good growing conditions, our T6P MVP has the potential to boost wheat yields by 5%-22%. Even under drought stress, we’ve seen yield benefits ranging from 4%-14%.

“Our work suggests differences in response depending on environmental conditions and wheat varieties, so as a science-based venture we felt a need to explore GxExM (genotype x environment x management) interactions”, explains Dr Cara Griffiths, our CTO and venture Co-Founder. “In the new project we will collaborate with plant scientists from Rothamsted to screen mapped wheat genotypes from pre-breeding populations for T6P response and identify markers to predict performance in commercial varieties”.

“I am delighted to collaborate with SugaROx to accelerate the development of robust biostimulants based on the technology invented through our collaboration with Prof Ben Davis from Oxford University”, says Dr Matthew Paul, Principal Scientist at Rothamsted Research and venture Co-Founder alongside Cara and Ben. “This precision approach is game-changing and is possible due to the in-depth scientific understanding available to us on the role of T6P in plants – work that started in and has been supported by BBSRC since 1999”.

“While our approach is rooted in over 25 years of cutting-edge science, its ultimate value lies in how effectively it translates to the field. That’s why agronomy—the science of crop production—plays a critical role in our product development process,” adds Cara. “The new project will also allow us to commission a number of trials on farms to explore how environmental conditions might affect MVP performance.”

ADAS, the UK’s largest independent provider of agricultural and environmental consultancy, rural development services and policy advice, will facilitate trials on commercial farms. They have many years of experience in trialling biostimulant products and have recently authored several evidence reviews of biostimulant efficacy.

“We are excited to be working with SugaROx to support the rigorous testing of their T6P biostimulant and will be running a series of 40 tramline field trials with UK farmers over the next 4 years. Combining robust trial design with the use of our bespoke Agronomics software will allow us to determine the impact of the T6P biostimulant upon wheat yield” says Dr Despina Berdeni, Soil Scientist at ADAS.

“Through an 18-month FIP Feasibility Study completed in March 2023 ADAS and us identified generic barriers for the adoption of biostimulants in the UK,” says Bianca Forte, our Business Development Director. “In our new project, ADAS will be co-ordinating in-depth surveys and consultations with a range of stakeholders including farmers, agronomists and food companies to ensure we address questions and accelerate end-user adoption”.

Do You Share Our Vision? Join Us!

To hear about opportunities to participate in our new project, UK farmers should follow us on LinkedIn. As we continue our journey to become a world-leader in the discovery of new molecules for crop stimulation and early-stage product development, we are forming partnerships with go-to-market channels to better understand the practices and needs of farmers, both in the UK and abroad. If that is you, reach out to our Business Development Director Bianca Forte to open a dialogue with us.

Bianca Forte, 24 September 2024

The global biostimulants market may still be considered niche compared to other markets for crop inputs such as crop protection products, but things are rapidly changing. Farmers are increasingly turning to biostimulants to boost yields and improve resilience against climate change. As a result, biostimulants are now among the fastest-growing segments in crop inputs.

Traditional biostimulants typically come from algae or plant extracts or are formulated with acids derived from organic waste. Because these products are mixtures of molecules from natural sources, manufacturers often face challenges optimizing their efficacy and ensuring consistent performance.

To address that, we’re developing single-molecule formulations with active ingredients (AIs) inspired by powerful plant molecules. While traditional biostimulants might offer a 2-5% yield boost for farmers, our wheat trials show that the first AI in our pipeline has the potential to increase yields by up to 22%!

With the availability of more effective and reliable technologies, demand for biostimulants will further accelerate. Recognizing the potential of our approach to drive industry growth, CorporateLiveWire has awarded us its Innovation & Excellence Award 2024 for Agriculture Chemical Manufacturer of the Year.

Creating and applying natural plant molecules as AIs in biostimulant formulations is no easy feat. It requires a delicate balance between plant biology, organic chemistry, and agronomy. In this article, we’ll dive into the intricacies of the first two disciplines that form the backbone of our research to explain how we develop game-changing solutions.

Joining Plant Biology & Organic Chemistry

Our process begins by identifying specific targets in plant biology that can significantly enhance crop performance. For yield improvement, we focus on bottlenecks that affect a plant’s capacity to transport nutrients into yield producing tissues, such as grains, fruits, or tubers. Once we’ve identified a bottleneck, we design novel biochemical signalling molecules that are able to relieve this bottleneck and that are compatible with existing farming practices. For our first AI, we achieve delivery through co-application with other inputs, using a foliar spray.

Bioactive plant molecules are often complex, featuring multiple functional groups and stereocenters, that determine their binding affinity to biological targets. Many of these molecules are chiral, meaning their biological activity can be specific to just one enantiomer. This complexity demands precise control over chemical reactions and meticulous optimization of synthesis steps. As we progress from lab to industrial production, ensuring selectivity and maximizing the yield of reactions is crucial.

The First Product in Our Pipeline

Our first AI is a modified version of trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P), a natural sugar that inhibits SnRK1, an enzyme that regulates sucrose use and allocation in plants. When SnRK1 is abundant and active, it signals a state of “famine” to the plant, slowing down growth, development, and grain filling. Conversely, when SnRK1 is inhibited, it signals a state of “feast,” directing sucrose towards growth, stress recovery, and grain filling. By inhibiting SnRK1, T6P effectively puts the plant into “feast” mode.

In its natural form, T6P is a polar molecule, making it difficult for plants to absorb it effectively. To overcome this hurdle, we use a proprietary version of T6P with a small chemical modification or “cage” that changes the molecule’s polarity, allowing for effective absorption. Once inside the plant cells, sunlight breaks down the cage, releasing biologically active T6P. Our first product targeting wheat has demonstrated that a single application during early grain filling can boost yields by up to 22%.

Do You Share Our Vision? Join Us!

This innovative approach, with the potential to revolutionize the biostimulants sector, was developed by plant biologists led by Dr. Matthew Paul from Rothamsted Research and organic chemists led by Prof. Ben Davis from Oxford University. They are the co-founders of our venture, alongside Dr. Cara Griffiths, our CTO. Their technology, based on 25 years of cutting-edge science, is protected by a robust portfolio of patents covering key agricultural markets worldwide. As their spin-out venture, SugaROx holds exclusive global rights to the portfolio.

We’re on a mission to make SugaROx a world leader in the discovery of new molecules for crop stimulation and early-stage product development. Using a B2B business model, we plan to partner with go-to-market channels that understand farmers’ practices and needs, developing solutions tailored to specific agricultural markets. If you see a fit, contact our Business Development Director Bianca Forte to start a conversation. If you’d simply like to stay updated on our progress, follow us on LinkedIn – we have more big news coming out soon.

Cara Griffiths, 13 August 2024

In a new collaboration with Fera, we are embarking on a groundbreaking project to enhance tomato resilience to climate change and reduce the carbon footprint of food production in the UK.

Sustainability in Tomato Production

Optimal tomato growth, fruit set, and yield occur at day/night temperatures of 21°C-29.5°C and 18.5°C-21°C, respectively. However, climate change is making high temperatures more frequent, longer lasting, and intense. The summer of 2022 saw the UK’s first-ever 40°C day. These peaks of temperature pose significant challenges for tomato producers.

Innovative Research and Development

At the heart of our new project are two core capabilities: our game-changing T6P technology for crop stimulation, and Fera’s state-of-the-art digital phenotyping facility. Using the Phenospex PlantEye Technology, Fera will produce 3-D scans of plants under stress, comparing the response of plants treated with our biostimulant to untreated plants.

Commitment to Producers

To ensure our solution meets the needs of UK producers, the British Tomato Growers’ Association (BTGA) will act as Knowledge Exchange Champion in our project. Additionally, ADAS will model the economic and carbon benefits of our biostimulant across three end-user scenarios, with sites selected in collaboration with BTGA.

For more information, contact our Business Development Director, Bianca Forte, via LinkedIn.

About Our Partners

Fera Science Limited: Fera is a leading provider of scientific services, committed to innovation and delivering sustainable solutions to environmental and food safety challenges. Learn more.

BTGA: The British Tomato Growers’ Association supports British tomato growers and encourages consumers to buy British produce. Learn more.

ADAS: ADAS is an independent research and consultancy provider focused on food security and the environment, with over 400 experts across more than 60 specialisms. Learn more.

Biance Forte, 1 August 2023

We are thrilled to announce that AgriBusiness Review has named us as one of the top five UK biostimulant ventures to watch in 2024. This recognition highlights our dedication to advancing crop stimulation through precision formulations, especially in a market where many products’ mechanisms of action remain poorly understood.

Our Background

Our journey is built on over 25 years of BBSRC-funded scientific research. It began in 1999 with Dr Matthew Paul, a plant biologist at Rothamsted Research, who studied trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P). His research uncovered T6P’s critical role in carbon use and allocation in plants, pinpointing its mechanism of action through the inhibition of SnRK1, a sucrose energy-regulating enzyme.

Dr Paul’s fundamental research showed how powerful modifying the levels of T6P in planta could be. However, the polarity of T6P makes the natural sugar unsuitable for up take via canopy tissues with a foliar spray – the standard application method for agrochemicals. So, in 2006 he teamed up with Prof Ben Davis, an organic chemist from Oxford University, to create a version of T6P for on-farm use.

In 2014, Dr Cara Griffiths, a plant molecular biologist and biochemist, joined their multi-disciplinary team. Her glasshouse experiments showed that the proprietary T6P could boost wheat yields by up to 20%. These groundbreaking results, published in Nature in 2016, garnered significant industry interest, prompting the team to move forward with field trials.

In 2020, Dr Griffiths partnered with Bianca Forte, a business developer. Working under the mentorship of Michael Peagram, a serial entrepreneur and seasoned investor, they secured funding from SHAKE Climate Change. We officially launched SugaROx in 2021, with Dr Griffiths as CTO and Dr Paul and Prof Davis on our Scientific Advisory Board.

Our Vision

At SugaROx, we aim to become a world leader in crop stimulation science. Using the technology from Rothamsted and Oxford, to which we hold exclusive global rights, we are developing active ingredients inspired by powerful natural plant molecules like T6P.

Creating science-backed solutions like ours involves extensive mode-of-action studies and field trials. As discussed in our recent interview with Agri-TechE, regulatory frameworks are important to support investment into the development of effective and safe biostimulants and we work with other science-based organisations to advocate for that.

Our B2B model involves partnering with companies with established distribution channels to reach key markets. Our T6P biostimulant is being evaluated by potential partners in the UK, EU, US, Brazil, and India. We look forward to new opportunities made possible by the recognition received from AgriBusiness Review.

For more information, contact our Business Development Director, Bianca Forte, via LinkedIn.

SugaROx expands team and facility as it looks to scale technology and field work

Bianca Forte, 30 April 2023

The recruitment of a Plant Biologist and Synthetic Organic Chemist comes at a key time for SugaROx. Enabled by recent success with its Seed Round and two grant applications, the new appointments to the R&D Team will be based in Harpenden and Oxford for access to cutting-edge research facilities.

‘The addition of Dr Soheila Bayat to our team increases our capacity to expand our wheat field trials to international markets and launch work on four additional crops’, explains Dr Cara Griffiths, SugaROx CTO. ‘After a few years developing my knowledge and skills in academia, I was looking for an opportunity to turn science to impact’, says Soheila. ‘The chance to make a real difference to farming practice is one of the key things that attracted me to this role with SugaROx’.

‘Dr Rob Jenkins will work on the refining and upscaling of the synthesis process for our active ingredient (AI) and test new AI concepts in our pipeline’, complements Cara. Since completing his PhD, Rob worked for 4 years in pharma designing key building blocks and developing and scaling up synthesis routes for active ingredients. ‘The challenge of ensuring sustainable world food production is a monumental one, and I am excited to apply my knowledge and skills to help solve that’, says Rob.

‘On the more commercial front, our new board members bring additional experience and connections to augment and complement our team’s capabilities’, says Bianca Forte, SugaROx Business Development Director. For Mark Robbins, SugaROx CEO, the combined experience in science-based and agri-tech ventures of the new board members is also invaluable for fund raising.

Paul Rous, Founder and Managing Director of Regenerate Ventures, has founded four VC funds launching, scaling, and exiting tens of companies. He is also actively involved in his family’s 4000-acre arable farm in Suffolk. ‘Biostimulants have a key role to play in helping farmers increase crop productivity and resilience, and I know from my farming activities how important that is’, says Paul. ‘SugaROx has a team with the commitment and experience to make a real difference in this space’.

Dr Andrew Muir, Fund Principal for the £100M UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, is a chemistry alumnus from the University of Oxford. Andy started his career in research and business development in industry then pivoted into the venture capital space where he specialised in launching and scaling spin-outs from academia. ‘I am excited to work with a technology that span-out of my home university to deliver global impact on food security and climate change’, says Andy.

Rob Hill, Director of Innovation and Commercialisation at Rothamsted Research, manages the commercial activities of the Institute and its interest in SHAKE Climate Change, the UK’s research-led seed investment programme for agri-tech start-ups with a positive impact on climate change. Before joining Rothamsted four years ago, Rob worked in the private equity and venture investment sectors. ‘Having closely followed SugaROx, both as a Rothamsted spin-out and a SHAKE portfolio company, I am delighted to join the board at such an exciting stage of development’, says Rob.

Bianca Forte, 17 March 2023

SugaROx has been selected by Innovate UK to enter its Global Incubator Programme which includes participation in the AGTECH ACCELERATOR in Canada. The accelerator supports the growth of agri-tech start-ups built to solve global problems and was founded by Cultivator powered by Conexus (Cultivator), Emmertech, and Economic Development Regina (EDR).

Biostimulants are emerging as one of the most promising solutions to help farmers improve the productivity, resilience, and sustainability of cropping systems, and demand for these products has been growing at nearly 12% CAGR.

SugaROx is bringing a precision technology to a market dominated by products that are ‘soups of ingredients’. Whilst most biostimulants deliver 2-5% yield gains, UK field trials show that the SugaROx approach has potential to deliver yield gains of up to 22% on wheat.

‘Our secret lies in using a single active ingredient (AI) whose mode of action is well understood’, says Bianca Forte, Business Development Director at SugaROx. ‘Our AI is inspired by a natural molecule found in all plants, so our potential for growth is huge’.

Participation in the AGTECH ACCELERATOR comes at a perfect time for SugaROx. The venture has recently secured some private equity and non-dilutive funding to expand wheat trials internationally and launch work on four other crops in the UK and abroad.

‘Through the AGTECH ACCELERATOR, our goal is to connect high-growth companies from Canada and the UK with 1M acres and agricultural producers and experts across our country’, says Jordan McFarlen, Incubator Manager at Cultivator powered by Conexus. ‘Our 2022 cohort has already raised over $30M in private capital, and we expect similar successes from this new cohort’.

The AGTECH ACCELERATOR starts on Monday and is packed with interactions with experts who will help the selected ventures develop plans to engage effectively with market opportunities in Canada and beyond. If you are interested in the development and commercialisation of innovative biostimulants, reach out to Bianca Forte on LinkedIn.

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Bianca Forte, 22 February 2023

SugaROx has raised £850k from Regenerate Ventures (RV) and the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) to allow investment in the scale up and registration of a cutting-edge biostimulant platform originally developed by Rothamsted Research and Oxford University. RV and UKI2S have been the stimulus in SugaROx raising £1.4M in its Seed Round.

Field trials conducted over several years show that SugaROx’s unique single molecule trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) biostimulant platform can boost wheat yields between 12-22%. Remarkable results have also been obtained under controlled conditions for barley, millet, and sorghum (featured image).

Fig. 1: Proof-of-concept work on drought-stressed sorghum.
Left: the effect of T6P application on stressed plants. Right: control.

“The investment will allow us to accelerate field testing, prepare to launch registration in major markets and obtain proof-of-concept on additional crops”, says SugaROx CEO Mark Robbins. “We are delighted to have attracted investment from UKI2S and RV. Together, they bring a track record supporting science-based ventures and invaluable expertise on agrochemicals”.

“We are excited to be joining SugaROx on their journey as we have a strong conviction in both the team and the technology”, says Paul Rous, Managing Director at RV. “A combination of strong market growth, a unique value proposition, supportive regulations and potential for high returns makes investment in biostimulants an attractive opportunity for our investors.”

Andrew Muir, Investment Director at UKI2S, believes SugaROx is a great exemplar for the fund’s thesis. “High quality, collaborative science which addresses a real global challenge and a significant market make for an excellent investment opportunity. SugaROx also has the potential to accelerate the transition to low carbon economies through reduced fertiliser inputs.”

The investment gives SugaROx a great head start – and other exciting developments are also in the pipeline. For updates, follow us at www.linkedin.com/company/sugarox-ltd/.

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About Regenerate Ventures (https://www.regenerate.ventures): Regenerate Ventures is a UK based venture capital fund investing into early-stage companies with technologies that help farmers produce food with less impact on the environment.  With 30 years’ experience, the team has raised and deployed four private equity funds and two VC funds, generating a successful investment-to-exit track record in the Seed and Series A venture space. The fund is part of Regenerate Asset Management Limited, an investment company focussed on regenerative and net zero strategies.

About Innovation & Science Seed Fund (https://ukinnovationscienceseedfund.co.uk): UKI2S is a national seed investment fund that nurtures innovative businesses emerging from the UK’s publicly-funded science and knowledge base to facilitate sustainable growth, enhance the health and security, and deliver economic gains. The team has a track record building companies that between them have attracted over £700M of later stage investment, 30 times its original investment. UKI2S is backed by UKRI, MoD, the DSIT, the UKAEA and other public bodies. It is independently managed by Future Planet Capital (Ventures) Ltd, an impact-led, global venture capital firm.