Biotalys: Bringing protein-based crop protection to the field

Farmers worldwide are under growing pressure: the traditional chemical toolbox is shrinking, pathogens keep adapting and resistance management is becoming more complex, while retailers and consumers increasingly demand food with lower pesticide residues. Biotalys is developing a new generation of protein-based crop protection solutions designed to help growers protect crops effectively while reducing reliance on conventional chemical pesticides. Recently, Biotalys’ pilot product EVOCA™ became the first protein-based biofungicide of its kind to receive approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), validating the company’s platform and offering a new precision biocontrol solution against Botrytis (grey mould) and powdery mildew in high-value fruit and vegetable crops.

A VIB-born venture built on VHH science

Biotalys was founded in 2013 based on research on VHH antibodies (single-domain antibodies) from the lab of Prof. Jan Steyaert at the VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology. At the time, Ablynx was exploiting the VHH technology for human therapeutics, while VIB’s Innovation & Business team saw an opportunity to build a new venture around applying the same technology in agriculture.

The original concept explored VHH antibodies as a targeted delivery approach for conventional crop protection products, aiming to reduce spraying frequency and dosage by guiding active ingredients more precisely. But a key insight changed the course: VHH antibodies could function as a standalone biocontrol solution, laying the foundation for a platform of protein-based products that directly protect crops.

More than a decade later, those VIB roots still matter, providing continued access to expertise and services from VIB’s Core Facilities and supporting recruitment of highly trained talent from across the VIB ecosystem. The team also acknowledges the role of Johan Cardoen (VIB managing director from 2012 to 2020), who served on the board of Biotalys until his recent passing, and whose reputation and network helped open doors during key phases of growth.

Pioneering a new path: key milestones and challenges

Biotalys’ journey from academic research to a product-driven company required a mindset shift: strong lab or plant-chamber results are only a starting point, while real impact depends on consistent field performance across crops, seasons, climates and disease pressure.

“Farmers need products that work in the field, season after season,” says Carlo Boutton, Chief Scientific Officer.

The same is true for regulation. “The regulatory framework is not a box to tick at the end, but a core part of product development that determines what evidence is needed and ultimately whether an innovation can reach the market”, explains Carlo.

Field trials with the company’s first product EVOCA started in 2017, with meaningful results emerging in 2018, moving the work from ‘promising’ to ‘credible as a product’. The pivotal milestone in Biotalys’ history came with the US EPA approval of EVOCA’s active VHH end of 2025, signaling that a protein-based solution can pass a regulatory system historically designed around chemical pesticides.

Biotalys’ crop protection is pioneering in more than one sense. Compared to pharma, agriculture cannot build on established molecular understanding for certain pathogens, meaning teams must build foundational knowledge themselves. This pioneering character also appears in the regulatory journey, and even in price-setting: in areas without clear reference routes, credibility is built through explanation, iteration, and persistence.

The AGROBODY™ platform: precision biocontrols, developed for the field

At the core of Biotalys sits the AGROBODY™ technology platform, translating the scientific foundations of single-domain antibodies into crop protection solutions designed for agriculture. This precision biocontrol approach targets specific pathogens in a controlled way.

A key requirement is stability: molecules must remain functional long enough in outdoor conditions to be effective, while still aligning with natural degradation pathways. One central design challenge is that solutions must fit real spray programs without being so broad that they create unwanted side effects. To strike that balance, genomics, bioinformatics, and AI-driven work support the optimization of selectivity and practical performance. From a manufacturing perspective, productivity is driven by targeted optimisation upstream, while downstream processing is comparatively simpler than in the pharmaceutical sector, supporting scalability.

The pipeline centers on fungicides as a core focus and insecticides supported in part through collaborations. In fungicides, the initial priority is high-value fruit and vegetables, including wine and table grapes, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, and peppers, where pricing and value per hectare make earlier adoption more feasible. The EPA also granted an exemption so that no maximum residue limit is required, reinforcing EVOCA’s relevance in residue-sensitive fruit and vegetable value chains. The company also sees opportunities in post-harvest protection.

© Biotalys© Biotalys

© Biotalys© Biotalys

Even before full approval, there were clear signs of demand for Biotalys’ biocontrol solutions. In the Netherlands, a specific framework allowed use at meaningful scale across 70 hectares of crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries, without requiring harvested products to be destroyed. External recognition followed too, with a new fungicide class created to reflect EVOCA’s distinct mode of action. In insecticides, a research collaboration with Syngenta (starting around 2023) further underlined the platform’s potential.

EVOCA today, EVOCA NG for scale

EVOCA is a protein produced via bio-fermentation and designed to act directly on fungal pathogens. It interacts with the pathogen cell membrane, disrupting membrane integrity, interfering with spore germination and hyphal growth, and ultimately leading to cell death.

“Bringing this first biofungicide through regulation took patience and persistence”, says Carlo. “Introducing a protein-based product into a system built around chemical crop protection meant we had to explain not only what it is, but also how it should be assessed.”

Internally, the approval became a defining moment. As Carlo puts it: “Nothing motivates a team more than being able to say: it’s approved.”

Yet the company frames its main commercial rollout around EVOCA NG, the next generation of EVOCA. The first generation of EVOCA validated the platform scientifically and regulatorily. EVOCA NG is designed for improved manufacturability and cost profile to enable commercially viable scale, with formulation remaining critical for leaf coverage and adhesion.

Europe remains a strategic priority, with a key regulatory milestone expected in the second half of 2026. For EVOCA NG, Biotalys outlines an indicative timeline of dossier submission around 2027, launch around 2029 (US first) and Europe roughly one year later. Commercially, Biotalys plans to rely on partners and distributors, including its collaboration with Biobest. With market access dominated by a small number of large players, partnerships are a practical necessity.

Looking ahead: gradual transition

The transition in crop protection is expected to be gradual and driven by real-world performance: new tools that work in the field, trust earned among growers, and step-by-step integration into resistance management programs.

Carlo concludes: “The transition won’t happen overnight. Change in agriculture is gradual, but inevitable. Our science can play a central role in transforming crop protection, for the benefit of growers, industry, consumers and the environment.”