Stephen O. Duke, Alyssa Twitty, Claire Baker, David Sands, Louis Boddy, María Lucía Travaini, Gustavo Sosa, Alexander L.A. Polidore, Amit J. Jhala, Jack M. Kloeber, Xavier Jacq, Lucas Lieber, Maria Celeste Varela, Martina Lazzaro, Ana P. Alessio, Christopher C. Ladner, Denis Fourches, Itai Bloch, Maayan Gal, Jonathan Gressel, Karthik Putta, Yael Phillip, Ifat Shub, Eyal Ben-Chanoch, Franck E. Dayan
Weed Science 72 (5), 444-464, (9 October 2024) https://doi.org/10.1017/wsc.2024.54
KEYWORDS: artificial intelligence, biocontrol, biosynthetic gene cluster, DNA-encoded library, mode of action, mycoherbicide, natural phytotoxin, natural products, PROTAC, protein–protein interaction, structure-based design, targeted protein degradation
During the past 30 yr an impasse has developed in the discovery and commercialization of synthetic herbicides with new molecular targets and novel chemistries. Similarly, there has been little success with bioherbicides, both microbial and chemical. These bioherbicides are needed to combat fast-growing herbicide resistance and to fulfill the need for more environmentally and toxicologically safe herbicides. In response to this substantial and growing opportunity, numerous start-up companies are utilizing novel approaches to provide new tools for weed management. These diverse new tools broaden the scope of discovery, encompassing advanced computational, bioinformatic, and imaging platforms; plant genome–editing and targeted protein degradation technologies; and machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)-based strategies. This review contains summaries of the presentations of 10 such companies that took part in a symposium held at the WSSA annual meeting in 2024. Four of the companies are developing microbial bioherbicides or natural product–based herbicides, and the other six are using advanced technologies, such as AI, to accelerate the discovery of herbicides with novel molecular target sites or to develop non-GMO, herbicide-resistant crops.