Dri-Lyse: Stabilised Bacteriophage Formulations for Sustainable Plant Protection and "Foodprint" Reduction

由于没有具体的控制措施，新鲜农产品的细菌病原体会因疾病、损坏和不符合市场规格而造成重大损失。病虫害作物和食品废弃物的处理，再加上为达到足够的市场产量所需的额外农业用地和水，都增加了粮食生产的碳足迹（“食品足迹”），更有效的农业系统，减少浪费是实现英国和欧盟提高粮食生产率和减少浪费目标的优先事项。**噬菌体**是病毒；它们是地球上最丰富的生物。作为天然存在的细菌敌人，它们作为有针对性的农业抗菌控制产品引起了相当大的关注。它们对消费者来说是完全安全的，具有高度的宿主特异性，对环境或非目标没有影响。APS生物防治在减少植物细菌性病害方面取得了良好进展，但产品的商业可行性有限；液体产品的热稳定性有限，需要低温储存和运输，这影响了它们的成本、保质期和储存。该项目的关键目标是解决这些限制，开发热稳定，干燥的噬菌体产品（_Dri-Lyse）；_通过与英国知名疫苗和疗法开发商Stabilitech BioPharma合作，利用平台技术显著提高产品的稳定性，包括针对病毒的稳定性，并基于天然存在于食品中的独特、安全的小分子（“赋形剂”）。在试点研究中，他们的技术为样品噬菌体提供了有希望的热稳定性，形成了该项目的背景。该项目将重点关注英国和更广泛的欧洲马铃薯市场；通过之前的“创新英国”支持，APS已经开发出一种有效的噬菌体混合物（“BPSRE”）来对抗细菌诱导的马铃薯“黑腿”，造成英国每年5000万英镑的总损失和全球7.5亿英镑的损失。APS还开发了一种液体噬菌体产品（Biolyse），针对该疾病造成的下游损失；最常见的是在包装仓库里变成腐烂的土豆。技术创新的重点将是创造一种优化的赋形剂组合，以保持BPSRE组合的活性。我们的愿景是从液体噬菌体混合物转变为片剂/动力形式，在使用时可再水化。好处是保质期更长，使产品更易生产。此外，由于不需要冷藏储存和运输，它们对客户更具吸引力，并且在业务增长和全球化的出口市场上处于更有利的地位。一旦在马铃薯市场得到证实，更长远的愿景是在英国和全球范围内解决其他高价值新鲜农产品市场。

Bacterial pathogens of fresh produce are responsible for substantial losses through disease, damage and failure to meet market specifications, with no specific controls. Diseased crop and waste-food disposal, plus additional agricultural land and water required to achieve sufficient marketable yields all add up to increase the carbon footprint of food production ("foodprint") and more efficient agricultural systems, with less wastage are a priority to meet UK and EU targets of increased food productivity and reduced waste.**Bacteriophage** are viruses; they are the most abundant organisms on earth. As naturally-occurring bacterial enemies, they are attracting considerable attention as targeted agricultural antibacterial-control products. They are completely safe for the consumer, highly host-specific and have zero environmental or non-target impacts. APS Biocontrol has made good progress in demonstrating their potential in reducing bacterial plant disease but product commercial viability is limited; liquid products have limited thermal-stability, requiring low-temperature storage and transport, which impacts on their cost, shelf-life and storage. The project's **key objective** is to address these limitations, developing thermally-stable, dry bacteriophage products (_Dri-Lyse);_ achieved through working with Stabilitech BioPharma, an established UK developer of vaccines and therapeutics, with platform technologies to significantly enhance product stability, including for viruses and based around unique, safe, small molecules ("excipients") which are naturally present in foods. In pilot studies, their technology has given promising thermal stabilisation of sample bacteriophage, forming the background to this project.The project will focus on the UK and wider European potato market; through previous Innovate UK support APS has developed an effective bacteriophage mix ("BPSRE") against bacterial-induced "Blackleg" of potatoes, responsible for £50M UK total losses p.a. and £750M worldwide. APS has also developed a liquid bacteriophage product (Biolyse) to target the downstream losses caused by this disease; most frequently realised in the pack house as rotting potatoes. The focus of the **technical Innovation** will be creating an optimised excipient mix to maintain the activity of the BPSRE mix.Our vision is to switch from liquid bacteriophage mixes to a tableted/powered form, rehydratable at the point of use. Benefits will be a longer shelf life, making the products more manufacturable. Also, removing the need for chilled storage and transport, they become more attractive to the customer and significantly better placed to address export markets for business growth and globalisation. Once proven in the potato market, the longer vision is to address other high-value fresh-produce markets, both in the UK and globally.