The problem

Mexico has an enormous agricultural biodiversity, producing and exporting various vegetables, fruits and grains. However, several pests attack crops impacting the sustain of families in rural communities and the national economy, and food supply. In particular, the order Coleoptera presents critical pests in native crops such as avocado, agave, and cactus. Sadly, these are only three of the numerous affected Mexican crops.

Our solution

We designed a biopesticide “Spidicide-CX” using a holistic perspective capable of efficient coleopteran control. This cell-free product is based on two spider venom peptides as their active ingredients, AcTx-Hv2 and OAIP-1. These peptides have a high selectivity to Coleoptera order and don’t impact human health. We used Pichia pastoris to produce these peptides taking advantage of its capability to express complex molecules in high yields.