Plant 'milkers' seek molecules for medicines and make-up

Plant Advanced Technologies Pat SA

22/07/2015 13:43

* France's PAT uses patented technique to extract 
'biomolecules' 
    * They can be used in pesticides, cosmetics, potentially 
medicines 
    * Companies including BASF and Chanel have teamed up with 
PAT 
 
    By Gilbert Reilhac 
    LARONXE, France, July 22 (Reuters) - A quiet village in 
eastern France is home to an unusual greenhouse. 
    Farmers at the site in Laronxe, about 100 km (60 miles) from 
Strasbourg, are growing plants in an unconventional way so they 
can "milk" them for rare molecules that could be used in 
medicines, cosmetics and agrochemicals. 
    Several major companies, including German chemicals group 
BASF  BASFn.DE  and French cosmetics maker Chanel, have teamed 
up with Plant Advanced Technologies (PAT)  ALPAT.PA  in the hope 
of securing privileged access to the so-called biomolecules it 
extracts through the use of a patented technique. 
    "Our job is to develop vegetal platforms that will produce 
very rare biomolecules on an industrial scale," Jean-Paul Fevre, 
co-founder of PAT, and a former head of research with French 
drugmaker Sanofi  SASY.PA , told Reuters. 
     The 10-year-old French firm tests around 100 plant species 
every year. They are grown using aeroponics, a soil-free culture 
system that allow roots to interact with a mist containing 
various nutrients to allow the plants to grow.  
    The biomolecules PAT hunts are those produced when plants' 
defences are triggered, which it has found to be most useful for 
commercial applications.  
    In a process similar to vaccination, farmers spray on 
liquids containing traces of a bacteria, insect or fungus that 
attack the plant - to activate its defences - before submerging 
the roots in a solvent to extract the desired molecules. The 
operation is repeated several times a year. 
    "Plants generate defence molecules naturally," said Frederic 
Bourgaud, a PAT vice president. "We ensure they produce as many 
of them as possible," he said.   
    PAT is not alone in seeking to extract commercially 
promising ingredients from plants - the field includes firms 
such as Italy's Indena and France's Pierre Fabre and Naturex 
 NATU.PA . But it is the only company to use the "milking" 
technique to harvest molecules. 
     
    PESTICIDES, DRUGS 
    BASF, the world's largest chemicals company by sales, sealed 
a deal with PAT in May under which it gains exclusive access to 
tests involving molecules that could be used in agriculture, 
such as biological pesticides. In return, the German group 
provides PAT with research teams and industrial know-how. 
    "What makes PAT stand out is their ability to target the 
right plants. On a blind search, you may end up testing some 
150,000 molecules before identifying the right one but I would 
say they have a 30 percent rate," said Jean-Marc Petat, BASF 
France's head of sustainable development, referring to their 
rate of success for finding potentially useful molecules. 
    The global biopesticide and synthetic pesticide market will 
grow from $54.8 billion in 2013 to $83.7 billion by 2019, 
according to research firm BCC. Biopesticides on their own 
accounted for around $3.6 billion of the market last year and 
that figure could reach $6.9 billion by 2019, it said. 
    Chanel was the first company to sign a production agreement 
with PAT, in 2012, teaming up to manufacture a new anti-aging 
cream made out of an edulis, a plant native to South Africa, 
that is now on the market. 
    PAT says it has 28 promising molecules in its pipeline and 
that some of its products could be used to design medicines to 
fight diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. 
    The company, listed on the European small and midcap 
Alternext index and owned by its three co-founders, aims to 
become profitable by the end of 2016. 
    The firm also aims to become one of the first groups to 
extract proteins from genetically modified carnivorous plants. 
The proteins could be used by the health sector to manufacture 
cheaper and safer insulin or growth hormones, it says. 
    
 
 (Writing by Matthias Blamont; Editing by Andrew Callus and 
Pravin Char) 
 ((matthias.blamont@thomsonreuters.com ; +33 1 4949 5054; 
Reuters Messaging: matthias.blamont.reuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: PAT PLANTMILKING/