PriceSensitive

Bio-Gene Technology (ASX:BGT) hits milestone in insecticide development

Agriculture
ASX:BGT      MCAP $12.28M
24 February 2021 12:30 (AEST)

Bio-Gene Technology (BGT) has reach a development milestone for its insecticide technology, Flavocide.

New studies have confirmed a definitive target site of Flavocide in insect cells.

Previous studies have shown that Flavocide has a mode of action quite different to other known insecticide classes, as it targets a different region of the insect that has no been targeted before.

These results were supported by testing on populations of pests resistant to other known insecticide. This provided Bio-Gene with a candidate target site within the insect.

The latest studies, undertaken by research company Pacific Discovery Services, looked to find a definitive target site using the more advanced and directed methodology.

This testing found a response to Flavocide that was identical to that found in previous studies but was more clearly expressed, therefore confirming this as a definitive target for the product.

This data will facilitate the increased industry engagement and support for a new classification of insecticide.

“These are extremely important and exciting results and effectively remove any ambiguity about how Flavocide works to control target pest,” CEO Richard Jagger said.

“It is an important validation of our technology when talking to companies about the uniqueness of our products to offer new solutions for control of resistant pests,” he added.

Chief Scientific Officer of Pacific Discovery Services David Spanswick says studies have proven Flavocide has a unique mode of action compared to other insecticides.

“Having worked on identifying and developing new molecules for over 30 years, I can say that it is rare to find an effective compound that functions through a novel mechanism of action,” he said.

“This is an exciting development that offers a new class of insecticides for use in a range of applications and most importantly the potential to address the problems faced by existing products when it comes to insecticide resistance,” he added.

On the market today, Bio-Gene is up 1.85 per cent and is trading at 13.8 cents per share at 12:34 am AEDT.

Related News