Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin have teamed up with agtech company, Syngenta, to develop biodegradable materials that help to protect crops.
In this 12-month collaborative project funded by Syngenta, experts in polymer chemistry at RCSI are exploring how cross-linked coatings of polymers could be applied in agriculture, allowing environmentally friendly protective agents to be released slowly into plants to protect crops over time.
The innovation at the centre of RCSI’s collaboration with Syngenta focuses on developing biodegradable materials that can break slowly in water and release compounds suitable for crop protection.
RCSI and Syngenta
RCSI lead researcher on the project and professor of chemistry, Andreas Heise, is an expert in building and testing polymeric materials, and has a long track record in developing such materials as platforms or carriers to control the delivery of medicines in the body.
“We are delighted to be taking this fundamental polymer technology and expertise, which we originally developed for controlled drug delivery in the body, and exploring with Syngenta, new ways to use this technology in the agricultural sector,” Prof. Heise said.
“This project demonstrates how innovation in material science can be applied in many different ways for the benefit of health, the environment and society in general.
“Industry-academic collaborations such as this one can help to unlock interdisciplinary innovation,” he added.
Crop protection
Syngenta, a global company with headquarters in Switzerland, has a strong research and development (R&D) focus on protecting crops as they grow.
The company develops herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and seed treatment products to promote strong and healthy growth based on scientific research.
The Syngenta partnership with Prof. Heise in RCSI is now exploring new ways to deliver those protective agents.
Dr. Annette Christie, team leader within Product, Technology and Engineering at Syngenta said: “We are thoroughly enjoying collaborating with Prof. Andreas Heise and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Bo Li on this exciting project, looking to advance our understanding on how novel materials can be applied to benefit the application of crop protection products.”
The partnership brings together RCSI expertise in polymer chemistry and Syngenta’s ambition to improve the way crops are grown and protected so that everyone benefits, from consumers to farmers and the environment.
