BT CATALYST
February/March 2002

CROPSOLUTION CATALYZING EVOLUTIONARY CHEMISTRY FOR THE AGROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Two of the Research Triangle area’s foremost agrochemical scientists were recruited last year to launch Cropsolution of Morrisville, which seeks to revolutionize the way agrochemicals are discovered and developed.

Eric Ward, Ph.D., and Scott Uknes, Ph.D., left top posts at Novartis (now Syngenta) and Paradigm Genetics, respectively, to lead Cropsolution, which was formed by Invenux of Denver to apply patented, proprietary technology to the discovery of agrochemicals.

Evolutionary Chemistry™, Cropsolution’s technology, is expected to reduce small-molecule discovery and optimization time from years to weeks. It synthesizes a vast array of diverse molecules likely to interact with targets, weeds out unpromising molecules and excludes chemicals with poor toxicological or environmental properties.

Ward, Cropsolution’s CEO, said the agrochemical industry is ripe for this technology and the products it promises. Mergers and acquisitions within this $30 billion (1999) industry have resulted in a handful of new powerhouse companies with strong capabilities in production, marketing and sales, but few new innovative products.

The mergers, and the shifting missions and goals that go with them, stalled discovery and development of new products, he said. As a result, new herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are very valuable to the industry. Also, U.S. agencies such as the FDA and EPA are eager for the development of improved products to replace older substances found to be toxic or harmful.

“We are the only company right now that can meet this niche in the industry,” he said.

Cropsolution was quietly launched with seed funding from Invenux and ATP Capital of New York. There was no publicly announced multi-million dollar infusion to boost the company’s presence and development efforts. But that will soon change.

Ward and Uknes are now on the trail of a nearly complete Series A funding round of about $6 million.
The two executives share management and fundraising responsibilities for Cropsolution and insist that they have not donned lab coats since their days at Novartis and Paradigm. The management team also includes Michelle D. Hunt, Ph.D., who was previously director of contracts and licensing at the former Novartis.

“We are full-fledged entrepreneurs now,” said Uknes, who serves as president of the company.

Uknes was previously a founder and vice president of business strategy at Paradigm Genetics. Initially he served as vice president of fungal research, with responsibility for designing and implementing Paradigm’s fungal genomics program. Ward came to Cropsolution from Novartis, where he was co-president.

Ward and Uknes have a history that dates back to Washington University in St. Louis, where they both earned Ph.D.s in plant biology in the late 1980s.

“Eric actually encouraged me to move to the Research Triangle Park area shortly after I got my Ph.D.,” Uknes said.

Now with 15 employees, Cropsolution recently subleased 4,000-square-feet of office and laboratory space from Magellan Laboratories Inc. in Morrisville and is working on a product-development project. The company also maintains a small laboratory in Union City, Calif., for chemical and biological screening.

Ward envisions the company developing many partnerships within the agrochemical industry over the next few years. Cropsolution will enter this market by providing novel active ingredients to companies, which will then produce and market final products.

The large agrochemical companies have demonstrated a willingness to in-license technology to improve their product development pipelines, he said.

The Evolutionary Chemistry™ technology was invented by Bruce Eaton, Ph.D., and was the basis for his founding of Invenux. Eaton, who is also a professor of chemistry at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, met with Ward and Uknes on many occasions to interest them in the launch of Cropsolution.

Through these discussions, it was determined that Cropsolution should be based in the Research Triangle Park area to take advantage of the area’s growing reputation as a hub for agricultural biotechnology.

“This is a great place for agricultural companies,” Ward said. “There are many here and they all have a major presence in the industry.”

Back to News/Media Main