Invaio Sciences Announces Key Agreement with Fundecitrus in Brazil to Combat Against Citrus Greening

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May 19, 2021, 09:01 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invaio Sciences, Inc., a Flagship Pioneering company focused on unlocking the potential of the planet's interdependent natural systems to solve pressing agriculture, nutrition and environmental challenges, announced today an agreement with the world-renowned Fundecitrus, Fund for Citrus Protection, located in Araraquara, Brazil. The agreement focuses on the collaboration to evaluate the use of a novel natural peptide to control the devastating disease Citrus Greening (HLB) in Brazilian citrus trees.

The agreement will leverage Fundecitrus' deep expertise in Citrus grove and pest management to evaluate application details of the novel peptide maSAMP in locally relevant conditions. The peptide, developed by Dr. Hailing Jin of the University of California Riverside, and licensed for global commercialization by Invaio, has previously been proven under greenhouse conditions to reduce the multiplication of pathogen that causes HLB/Citrus Greening – a severe plant disease carried by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid that has dramatically and rapidly threatened the citrus industry by devastating millions of acres of citrus crops throughout the world.

Fundecitrus is a non-profit private Brazilian Citrus Industry Association that works for the interests of the citrus growers and industry. Founded 44 years ago in the state of São Paulo, the organization promotes the sustainable development of citrus production in Brazil. Through its cutting-edge research facilities, hundreds of hectares of field trials in commercial orchards, and more than 130 staff and research members, Fundecitrus has been leading efforts to ensure that Brazilian citrus growers have access to the latest technologies, techniques, and information enabling the sustainable production of citrus products.

"Brazil is currently the largest producer of oranges in the world, with 17 million tons of the fruit produced annually (21% of global production) and supplying over 50% of global juice production," explains Peleg Chevion, President & Chief Commercial Officer at Invaio Sciences.

Chevion continues, "The collaboration will focus on the application of Invaio's pioneering technologies to evaluate efficacy and assess measurable improvements to tree health.

We are already testing the technology in field trials in Florida and the goal of the Fundecitrus collaboration is to bring the benefit of this game changing technology to Brazil, as well as to other Citrus growing regions, which have already suffered, or are expected to suffer immense losses from the devastating effects of the HLB disease."

"We are very pleased to work with some of the world's experts in HLB management in Brazil, to best understand how to apply this sustainable and innovative technology and improve the economic conditions of citrus growers", commented Avram Slovic, Sr. Commercial Director of Latin America. "While we understand these studies are preliminary, we are confident that together with Fundecitrus we have the right team in place in order to integrate our technologies with current practices."

About Invaio Sciences:

Invaio Sciences is a multi-platform technology company that unlocks the potential of the planet's interdependent systems to address pressing agricultural, nutritional, and environmental challenges. Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2018, Invaio leverages discoveries from diverse fields including human therapeutics, agriculture, environmental science, and advanced manufacturing. The company's deep understanding of the physiology of insects, plants and trees, together with its novel integrated solutions approach, promises to refine agricultural practices and reduce the need for pesticides globally. Invaio Sciences is dedicated to developing solutions that are mindful of beneficial insects, bad for pests, and safer for us all. For more information, please visit www.invaio.com

About Flagship Pioneering:

Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life science platform companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has, through its Flagship Labs unit, applied its unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $80 billion in aggregate value. To date, Flagship has deployed over $2.3 billion in capital toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies alongside more than $19 billion of follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises 41 transformative companies, including Axcella Health (NASDAQ: AXLA), Codiak BioSciences (NASDAQ: CDAK) Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Evelo Biosciences (NASDAQ: EVLO), Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX), Indigo Ag, Inari Agriculture, Kaleido Biosciences (NASDAQ: KLDO), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RUBY), Sana Biotechnology (NASDAQ: SANA), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Sigilon Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SGTX).