The state of modern agriculture

Since the mid 20th century, modern agriculture has worked to overpower mother nature, resulting in a remarkably efficient global food system. But this approach comes at an environmental cost, and potentially a health cost. The demands on our food system continue to grow exponentially while the public calls for greener, safer and more sustainable solutions. Existing pesticides and herbicides are becoming less effective as destructive weeds, insects, fungi and viruses resist them. Oerth Bio is bringing new sustainable technology to improve our food system, safeguard crops, and restore the environment.

Proven technology opens possibilities

PROTAC® (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera) technology has shown promising success in human health with emerging therapeutic solutions for treating a variety of diseases. In human applications PROTAC-based therapeutics modulate cellular proteins for best effect in eradicating cancers and restoring cell balance. PROTAC technology enables immediate therapeutic benefit while underlying genes are left undisturbed.

New sustainable answers for agriculture

At Oerth Bio we are translating PROTAC technology from its proven origins in human health to the expansive possibility it holds for plants and agriculture. We see potential to solve some of the biggest problems facing the global food system and we’re building a company, and world-class scientific infrastructure, to make it happen.

A Nobel Prize-Winning precedent

Photo of Norman Borlaug. — “You can’t build a peaceful world on empty stomachs.”
– Norman Borlaug

“You can’t build a peaceful world on empty stomachs.”
– Norman Borlaug

There is strong precedent for the utility of our approach in agriculture. Norman Borlaug – an American wheat breeder – is credited with saving a billion lives and won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work (unknowingly) tapping into the ubiquitin-proteasome system to develop semi-dwarf wheat.

The agronomic outcome of his wheat program was shorter plants, stronger stalks, less time for the plant to produce grain, less labor-intensive harvesting, resistance to wheat rust and the ability to handle heavy fertilizer load.

Our goal is to systematically and rationally leverage this approach to tackle significant agricultural challenges.

See how PROTAC technology works with the natural ubiquitin tagging system.

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MLA style: The Nobel Peace Prize 1970. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. Sun. 14 Nov 2021.

Founded by leaders in life sciences

Leaps by Bayer

Leaps by Bayer is spearheading a movement to make paradigm-shifting advances in the life sciences – targeting the breakthroughs that could fundamentally change the world for the better.

Arvinas

Arvinas is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leading the creation of an entirely new way to treat disease through therapies that target and degrade disease-related proteins.

“At Arvinas, we believe Oerth Bio has the potential to extend the power of our PROTAC® technology into agricultural science, where we hope it will significantly impact the resilience and durability of our food supply.”
– John Houston, President and CEO, Arvinas