Enko Identifies Novel Fungicide and Insecticide Modes of Action Using ENKOMPASS™

Extends new MOA discovery capability and supports the discovery of effective and more selective chemistry targeting plant disease and insect pests.

MYSTIC, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enko Chem, Inc. today announced that it has utilized its ENKOMPASS™ platform to rapidly and cost-effectively identify novel modes of action (MOAs) for fungicides and insecticides. The newly identified MOAs draw on previously untapped biology and extend this use of ENKOMPASS across all three crop protection categories: herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. The new MOAs offer differentiated approaches to some of the most challenging pests and diseases facing agriculture.

Growers need new modes of action. Resistance is reducing the effectiveness of existing products, older solutions need safer, more selective replacements, and climate change is altering the range and prevalence of pests and diseases. Each new MOA gives growers and crop protection companies another potential tool to manage these challenges.

“Expanding the MOA discovery application of ENKOMPASS into fungicide and insecticide discovery demonstrates that the platform works across all major crop protection categories,” said Tom Meade, Chief Science Officer at Enko. “We’re bringing the same combination of biological insight, computational approaches and experimental validation to new areas of crop protection, allowing us to explore targets that have historically been difficult to access.”

In September 2024, Enko announced that ENKOMPASS could rapidly and cost-effectively discover novel herbicide MOAs. Two years later, the platform has delivered novel MOAs for fungicides and insecticides.

New Modes of Action for Fungal Disease
In fungicides, Enko identified novel MOAs involving biochemical pathways that are essential to plant pathogenic fungi but absent in animals. This biological distinction creates the potential to design highly selective fungicides and build safety into discovery from the start.

Non-Neural Modes of Action for Insect Control
Enko also identified novel insecticide MOAs that operate outside the nervous system where many commercial insecticides act. The discovery of non-neural targets is an important opportunity to diversify the approaches available for insect control.

Together, these discoveries demonstrate the broad potential of Enko’s ENKOMPASS platform to rapidly and cost-effectively discover new MOAs and translate them into new starting points for crop protection innovation.

About Enko^®
Enko (Enko Chem Inc.) designs safe and sustainable solutions to farmers’ biggest crop threats today, from pest resistance to new diseases. By applying the latest drug discovery and development approaches from pharma to plants, Enko is bringing an innovation model to agriculture and meeting farmers’ evolving needs. Founded in 2017, and led by a team of proven scientists, entrepreneurs, and agriculture industry veterans, Enko is backed by investors including theGates Foundation, Anterra Capital, DYDX Capital, Novalis LifeSciences, Germin8 Ventures, TO Ventures Food, and Rabo Food & Agri Innovation Fund. Enko is headquartered in Mystic, Connecticut, USA. For more information, visit www.enko.ag. Follow us on LinkedIn.