BIOVEGEN breaks audience record at its BIOTECH ATTRACTION 2023 event on bioinformatics, biofertilizers and alternative proteins

BIOVEGEN breaks audience record at its BIOTECH ATTRACTION 2023 event on bioinformatics, biofertilizers and alternative proteins

• The biotechnology platform brought together 280 professionals from companies and the main research centers in the country at Fruit Attraction and managed to fill the Fruit Forum, the largest exhibition hall at the fair..
• The CSIC exhibits how computing genome data, AI and gene editing are accelerating plant improvement, cultivation in vitro, phytopathology (to fight pests and diseases), microbiology (viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites) or agricultural physiology (plant functioning).
• The CBGP works on more sustainable cereals with low nitrogen requirements; The CNB-CSIC makes progress in the cultivation of the plant Lemna as a source of plant protein, as an agent against water eutrophication processes and to capture arsenic from the soil; Agrenvec produces analogues of animal proteins from plants and Madeinplant generates plant biomolecules for industrial, healthcare or food use.

Madrid, 10-10-2023.- BIOVEGEN, the platform dedicated to connecting the advances of biotechnological research with the needs of companies, broke a record audience this year at its Biotech Conference. Having as a link the new green revolution that is already approaching, the event dedicated this year to analyzing the advances in bioinformatics, the development of biofertilizers and proteins of plant origin, alternatives to animal ones, managed to fill the Fruit Forum of the Fruit Attraction contest. –the largest conference venue- and brought together more than 280 professionals from agri-food companies and researchers from the main centers in the country.

Group photo of the speakers of the BIOTECH ATTRACTION Conference 2023

The meeting was inaugurated by the director of this great fruit and vegetable fair, María José Sánchez, who recognized the work carried out by this platform both in the organization of its space Biotech Attraction -which has celebrated its third edition- as well as in the holding of business talks during the three days of the event (between October 3 and 5, at Ifema) as well as with the day itself that was starting at that time.

He was followed by José Pellicer, president of Biovegen, in welcoming the attendees, who thanked the spectacular response given to the call and the facilities offered for the organization of all of this. The closing was carried out by the director of the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology-Higher Council of Scientific Research (INIA-CSIC, the largest public consortium of R&D centers in the country), Esther Esteban, who claimed the importance of communication actions like this: “We have benefited from the rapid development of vaccines against Covid-19, which would not have been possible without the decades of previous advances in messenger RNA techniques. But in agri-food, it seems that the verification effort needs to be doubled, hence the opportunity for conferences like this one, which generate so much trust and connection."

General view of the room during the welcome carried out by José Pellicer, President of BIOVEGEN.

From the Aula DEI Experimental Station of the CSIC, Bruno Contreras analyzed how new genetic data computing systems, genomic editing techniques and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are contributing to accelerating plant improvement processes, cultivation in vitro (under aseptic conditions, without germs, controlling growth factors), phytopathology techniques (to identify and fight diseases and pests) and microbiology (plant functioning). Specifically, Contreras detailed the three main instruments that bioinformatics offers: 1.- When exploiting the pangenome (that is, the complete collection of genetic data of organisms belonging to the same clade) to use it as “reference for the analysis of a plant genome and its improvement with CRISPR-Cas 9” (gene editing); 2.- For the “genomic selection and the combination of haplotypes (which are groupings of genetic variants that tend to be inherited together) which, in turn, allows a better knowledge of the biology of the plant” and 3.- The AI that “enables an immediate and error-free analysis of the organism's own genomics, images and phenotype” (which are the observable characteristics such as its morphology, development, properties...).

Immediately afterwards, Miguel Morard, director of the ValGenetics Bioinformatics Unit, showed how the use of all these tools allows this company to offer services to characterize the varieties of its clients (in an unequivocal way, differentiating them from the others, to facilitate the control of quality, for improvement processes by molecular markers...); to taxonomically identify microorganisms and identify biocontrol systems against pests or diseases; for biofertilization or biostimulation and for advanced diagnosis in plant pathology.

From the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP, of the Polytechnic University of Madrid), Ana Pérez González updated the status of research to obtain more sustainable cereals, with fewer nitrogen requirements. The researcher recalled how - starting with the Haber-Bosch process (1909), based on the reaction of gaseous nitrogen and hydrogen to produce ammonia - the green revolution was consolidated, making it possible to quadruple the human population by increasing agricultural land by only 30%. But this synthesis process, in global terms, has required consuming up to 5% of natural gas production, has led to between 6 and 12% of greenhouse gas emissions, and is the source of nitrate pollution in waters. and is also responsible for the eutrophication (pollution by nitrogen and phosphorus, reducing the concentration of oxygen in the water) of many terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Hence, the CBGP works in the “challenge" of “transfer the genes that fix nitrogen to cereals” or explore “the way to activate nitro-genases in plants” (the enzymes that allow molecular nitrogen to be reduced naturally).

In a complementary manner, Antonio Leyva, from the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), reported on the possibilities of a simple plant, the Lemna - known as 'duckweed' and abundant in certain parts of Spain - as a source of plant protein, as a brake on the aforementioned eutrophication processes in general and to capture arsenic from the soil in particular, for example, in rice plantations. The flooding with which this cereal is grown prevents the growth of weeds that could attract pests, but the food is highly exposed to arsenite, a highly toxic chemical form of arsenic. ““In some areas of Asia, where it is the basis of food, arsenic contamination is a major health issue.”Leyva highlighted.

Fruit Forum 4 Auditorium during the presentation by Bruno Contreras, AULA DEI CSIC

And beyond research, as successful cases of technology transfer, Isabel Bronchalo, CEO of the company Agrenvec, presented the model of an emerging industry – one dedicated to producing protein analogous to animal protein from plants, animal-free well– which in the long term will contribute to reducing the number of intensive livestock farms, the most polluting. For his part, Federico Grau, CEO of Madeinplant, proposed how, based on their own patented technology, they are capable of reorienting production processes towards greener ones, producing biomolecules in plants of interest for sectors such as health, agri-food, industry. or research.

In this field, Eva Bataller presented the model created at the University of Valencia – which is, according to the prestigious Shanghai ranking, the leading center in Spain in agri-food – to bring success to entrepreneurship linked to  startups agrotech and foodtech arising from its Science Park. “We solve real problems of R&D&I-intensive companies that are born here and we interrelate them with what we call driving companies”He explained, finally detailing the business and scientific mentoring services they provide, access to joint facilities, training and contact with potential clients. Madeinplant itself is one of the success stories that emerged from this business incubator, which now works with 14 other companies in the acceleration phase.

Gallery

Program and presentations

• 11:45 a.m. Registration and collection of accreditations
• 12:00 p.m. Welcome and introduction
  • María José Sánchez, director of FRUIT ATTRACTION.
  • José Pellicer, president of BIOVEGEN.
• 12:15 p.m.. Potential of bioinformatics in agriculture
  • Present and future of bioinformatics in agriculture. Bruno Contreras, DEI CSIC CLASSROOM

• VALGENETICS experience in bioinformatics. Miguel Morard, director of VALGENETICS bioinformatics unit

• 12:45 p.m. Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen and development of biofertilizers. Ana Pérez González, CBGP (UPM-INIA).

• 1:15 p.m.. Alternative plant-based proteins:
  • Potential of lemna as a source of vegetable protein. Antonio Leyva, CNB-CSIC

• AGRENVEC: molecular agriculture. Isabel Bronchalo, CEO

• 1:45 p.m.. Innovation and entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector
  • AGROTEC UV incubator. Eva Bataller, responsible business development

• MADEINPLANT. Federico Grau, CEO

• 2:15 p.m. Conclusions and closing. Esther Esteban, INIA-CSIC general director.
• 2:30 p.m.. Cocktail and networking