Innatrix lands $499,786 NSF grant to push biopesticide toward market
What's the deal? InnatrixDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Durham-based agricultural biotechnology company, has been awarded a $499,786 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IIB grant from the US National Science FoundationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The funding will help move its lead peptide product, InnaLB, toward US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration and market launch.
What does it do? InnaLB is a peptide-based biofungicide that targets Phytophthora infestans, or late blight — a pathogen that causes around $6.7 billion in global potato production losses each year. In Phase II trials, the product achieved up to 80% control against late blight in potatoes and tomatoes, and also proved effective against cucurbit downy mildew, grape downy mildew, and potato pink rot.
By the numbers: The new award lifts total NSF funding for the project to $1,702,087 and extends the performance period through September 30, 2027. At $499,786, the grant lands in the top third of comparable rounds by size.
What's the money for? Innatrix will use computational redesign to extend the peptide's half-life and optimise bioprocessing for stability and manufacturability. It also plans to develop stable, spray-tank-ready liquid formulations and complete the animal safety and environmental studies needed for formal EPA registration.
Why it matters: InnaLB already secured a "biochemical-like" classification from the EPA, which opens a streamlined, lower-cost approval path. "Receiving this NSF SBIR Phase IIB award validates our platform's technical accomplishments and commercial trajectory," said Jiarui Li, founder and chief executive officer of Innatrix.
What's next? Founded in 2013, Innatrix is also backed by the United Soybean BoardDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, USDADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → grants, and two small business loans from the North Carolina Biotechnology CenterDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It is currently raising a $2 million seed round to support continued growth.
The signal: The award reflects steady public and private appetite for biological crop protection as an alternative to conventional chemistry. With a lower-cost regulatory route and validated field efficacy, Innatrix is positioning InnaLB to reach growers facing multibillion-dollar losses from a single disease.
Read more: news.agropages.com
Image credit: SoilScience.info
