Project approved: Development of an AI-based rapid test for quality control of algae-based biostimulants for sustainable agriculture

Today, we received the formal approval letter for a short, but exciting new project which we will pursue in collaboration with ‘our’ biotech start-up Bex-biotec. The money comes from a European programme called REACT-EU (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe) which aims to support small companies survive the pandemic, by financing research projects which serve to improve the sustainability of our economy. Dr. Rebecca Melcher, the CEO of Bex-Biotec, teamed up with our post-doctoral researcher Dr. Philipp Lemke to design a project for the development of a rapid test for plant biostimulant activity in algal extracts. It is long known that extracts from marine algae – just like our chitosans – have phytostimulatory activities, strengthening plants to better cope with environmental stress or microbial pathogens. However, products based on such algal extracts do not always perform reliably, and studies on structure-function relationships which had been so successful in improving the performance of chitosan-based biostimulants, are hampered by the enormous structural complexity of the extracts. Rebecca and Philipp now plan to develop methods of Artificial Intelligence to come up with a rapid test that would allow to predict the biostimulant potential of an algal extract. The project is demanding and, unfortunately, REACT-EU only supports short-term projects of one year. But given our extensive experience with phytostimulatory chitosans and with a broad portfolio of bioassays for different aspects of biostimulants, we are confident that we are well prepared for the challenge. Using Artificial Intelligence will be a first for us – an exciting prospect!

This project is part of the European response Union promoted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.