Advantages

- Broad-Spectrum: Unlike gene-editing approaches targeting specific promoter regions, this chemical solution offers broad applicability across various crop varieties and pathogen strains.
- Novel MoA: A distinct control mechanism that directly inhibits host (rice) SWEET transporters to cut off the pathogen's nutrient supply.
- Water Solubility & Easy Synthesis: Water-soluble small-molecule compounds easily scalable to gram-scale synthesis and further derivative optimization.
- Crop Safety: Effective suppression of pathogen infection and proliferation without inducing phytotoxicity or inhibiting seedling growth.

Current Stage and Key Data

Lab/In vivo Proof of Concept (Suppression of infection validated on rice leaves).
- Screening: Identification of lead compounds showing potent sucrose transport inhibition at nM to µM through high-throughput screening of 33,200 compounds and derivative optimization.
- In vivo Efficacy: Co-treatment with lead compounds and pathogen demonstrated significant reduction of water-soaking lesion symptoms and bacterial proliferation in rice leaves.
- Crop safety assessment: No adverse phenotypes or growth inhibition were observed at the effective concentration, whereas leaf wilting was observed at higher concentrations.

Partnaring Model

Patent licensing, Joint R&D/
- Target Partner Examples: Plant protection and agrochemical companies, agricultural biotechnology firms, and crop science enterprises.

Background

Bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, is one of the most devastating bacterial diseases affecting global rice production. The pathogen employs a sophisticated strategy by injecting Transcription Activator-Like (TAL) effectors into rice cells to induce the overexpression of SWEET sucrose transporters (such as OsSWEET14), thereby hijacking host nutrients for its own proliferation.
Conventional disease management tactics (e.g., existing chemicals and water drainage management) remain insufficient, and while gene-edited resistant varieties are being developed, genetic diversity among rice varieties and Xoo strains limits universal application. This technology offers a versatile and sustainable control solution by using a chemical approach to directly inhibit SWEET transport activity, effectively starving the pathogen.

Principal Investigator

Masayoshi Nakamura (Affiliated with Nagoya University at the time of the invention; currently affiliated with Saitama University)

Patents and Publications

Patent pending