BioFuelNet Canada Inks Research Deal with CXC-AG for 450 Bacterial Strains to Fight GHGs

By CXC-AG|18 July 2024

BioFuelNet Canada recently agreed to partner with CXC-AG to further develop 450 specifically curated bacterial strains by isolating and purifying derived secondary metabolites to increase the production of biomass in crops and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, independent of abiotic stress.

According to Professor Don Smith, CEO of BioFuelNet, “What makes this project unique is that while most biostimulants increase yields in the face of stress events, these new strains also have the potential to increase yields in the absence of abiotic stress. Across 30 years of advanced research in this area, my team and I have gained considerable proficiency at fast-tracking microbial strain development and secondary metabolite characterization. BioFuelNet Canada brings the unique opportunity to apply our acquired knowledge to these highly promising strains, with the ultimate goal of leveraging agricultural technology to reduce GHG emissions. CXC-AG adds not only its commercialization expertise, but also its deep knowledge and understanding of agricultural technology to assist in targeted, secondary metabolite characterization.ā€

FranƧois Lamoureux, CEO of CXC and CXC-AG agrees. “On the heels of the recent announcement from Nutrien that they were acquiring the Suncor AgroScience assets,” says Lamoureux, “we felt it was important to further align our efforts with Dr. Smith and BioFuelNet Canada to pursue a future where the deep science around secondary metabolites can make a measurable difference not only in farmersā€™ lives, but in all of our lives. Dating back to his days as the pre-eminent researcher uncovering the role and value of lipo-chitooligosaccharides (LCO) signaling molecules in plant health and crop performance, Dr. Smith has proven himself as a leader in this field, with a long history of collaboration with our chief scientist, Dr. Fazli Mabood.ā€

Enabling a farmer’s ability to increase biomass using non-petrochemical-derived ingredients brings about a net gain in reduction of GHG emissions. Microbial-derived secondary metabolite solutions are at once cutting-edge, deep-tech, and clean-tech, requiring incisive scientific expertise and a deep understanding of agricultural production systems to bring to market. The BioFuelNet Canada and CXC-AG partnership integrates these core competencies toward a clear path of GHG reduction.

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CXC-AG is a division of CXC, solely focused on developing and commercializing research from top university laboratories. CXC-AG has strong links to McGill University, especially the Smith Lab which is renowned for developing lipochito-oligosaccharides (LCOs), which are arguably the biggest hit in biologicals, in use on hundreds of millions of acres worldwide. See all author stories here.

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