Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) Wins 2023 Best Product/Service of the Year Award at UK’s Big Sustainability Award Competition

BSI again recognized for innovating in-lab produced and scalable Advanced Botanical Material for gold standard biofungicide Quillibrium® and QS-21 vaccine adjuvant for activating human immune system

November 8, 2023

Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI), has been named winner of the 2023 Sustainable Product/Service of the Year Award from the UK’s Big Sustainability Awards.

The Best Product/Service Award recognizes the company which, “has developed the technology in-house, owns the IP and demonstrates how this is contributing to the growing push for sustainable practices and business, while reducing the impact of business on the environment.”

The Big Sustainability Award Dinner and Ceremony took place October 26 at the Hilton Ageas Bowl in Southampton, UK. Master of ceremonies and award presenter was longtime ITV broadcaster Fred Dinenage. Accepting the 2023 Best Product/Service Award was BSI’s VP Latin America, Diego Ibanez, who stated, “The BSI team is proud that our contribution to human health and sustainable agriculture is receiving this international recognition from the industry. We thank the Big Sustainability Awards team of judges for this honor, as well as our great collaborators Croda Pharma and Syngenta for their valued partnership”.

According to BSI CEO Gaston Salinas, “BSI’s unique and proprietary platform for a truly sustainable and scalable production of plant-based products without sourcing raw materials from nature or conventional plantations has given birth to two gold standard products for human and plant health.”

BSI’s most recent technology breakthrough enables a robust supply chain for the vaccine adjuvant QS-21, thanks to a partnership with Croda Pharma. This next generation of QS-21, has been proven biochemically comparable and as immunogenic as the traditional QS-21, obtained from very old soapbark trees that grow predominantly in Chile. QS-21 is used in FDA approved vaccines such as shingles, malaria, and RSV, plus promising new vaccine candidates and immunotherapy treatments such as cancer. Croda Pharma announced the partnership with BSI earlier this year and launched this award-winning innovation subsequently to their global customer base.

Meanwhile, the award winning biopesticide Quillibrium®, under a successful partnership with Syngenta established since 2019, has produced over 50% YOY growth of effective growers’ adoption of the product in Chile and Peru, accumulating over 100,000 acres treated to date. Even greater adoption is expected as Quillibrium® expansion plan materializes in Mexico, Brazil, the US, and EU.

Botanical Solution’s winning of the Big Sustainability Award for Best Product/Service of the Year is the 4^th industry award BSI has received in the past year, having also won the ICIS Chemical Business Process Innovation Award, the Best Biopesticide of the Year from S&P CropScience, and the Best Startup Business of the Year Award from the World BioProtection Forum.

About BSI

BSI, a Delaware Corporation has a proprietary R&D platform for truly sustainable and improved production of consistent and high- quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM). ABM-01 is the first ABM produced by the company, based on a tissue cultured plant called Quillaja saponaria. ABM-01 is the active ingredient used in two gold standard products, BSI’s biopesticide Quillibrium® and the adjuvant QS-21, used in modern vaccine development. To learn more visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

About the Big Sustainability Awards

The Big Sustainability Awards started in Southampton, UK in 2018, organized by the UK’s Southern Sustainability Partnership. It was originally focusing on companies and non-profits in the South of England which made the greatest contributions to sustainability. It has since expanded to include all the UK and international companies, as well.

Media Contact

Jon Amdursky
jon.amdursky@botanicalsolutions.cl

Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) Wins ICIS Chemical Business 2023 Best Process Innovation Award

BSI recognized for innovative in-lab process that sustainably scales its gold standard solutions for human and plant health.

October 23, 2023

Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI), has been named winner of the 2023 Best Process Innovation Award from ICIS Chemical Business.

The ICIS Award for Process Innovation recognizes BSI’s “unique and proprietary platform for a truly sustainable and scalable production of plant-based products without sourcing raw materials from nature or conventional plantations”, and its impact, which has given birth to two gold standard products for human and plant health.

BSI’s most recent technology breakthrough enables a robust supply chain for the vaccine adjuvant QS-21, thanks to a partnership with Croda Pharma This next generation of QS-21, has been proven biochemically comparable and as immunogenic as the traditional QS-21, obtained from very old soapbark trees that grow predominantly in Chile. QS-21 is used in FDA approved vaccines such as shingles, malaria, RSV, and COVID plus promising new vaccine candidates and immunotherapy treatments such as cancer. Croda Pharma announced the partnership with BSI earlier this year and launched this award-winning innovation subsequently to their global customer base.

Meanwhile, the award winning biopesticide Quillibrium®, under a successful partnership with Syngenta established since 2019, has produced over 50% YOY growth of effective growers’ adoption of the product in Chile and Peru, accumulating over 100,000 acres treated to date. Even greater adoption is expected as Quillibrium® expansion plan materializes in Mexico, Brazil, the US, and EU.

The ICIS Award Ceremony took place October 17 at the Savoy Hotel in Central London. Accepting the 2023 Process Innovation Award on behalf of BSI was Laura Reilly, Croda Pharma’s VP Marketing, who stated, “I’m honored to accept this Award on behalf of Croda’s partner, Botanical Solution. Croda and BSI have an excellent partnership to meet the pharma industry’s needs for QS-21, including a reliable and stable supply of this Gold Standard vaccine adjuvant.”

BSI CEO Gastón Salinas, stated, “The BSI team is proud that our contribution to human health and sustainable agriculture is receiving this high recognition from the industry. We thank the ICIS Chemical Business team of judges for this honor, as well as our great collaborators Croda Pharma and Syngenta for their valued partnership”.

About BSI

BSI, a Delaware Corporation has a proprietary R&D platform for truly sustainable and improved production of consistent and high- quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM). ABM-01 is the first ABM produced by the company, based on a tissue cultured plant called Quillaja saponaria. ABM-01 is the active ingredient used in two gold standard products, BSI’s biopesticide Quillibrium® and the adjuvant QS-21, used in modern vaccine development. To learn more visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

About ICIS

ICIS Chemical Business is an independent chemical and energy market intelligence company, connecting data, markets, and partners to optimize business decision making.

Media Contact

Jon Amdursky
jon.amdursky@botanicalsolutions.cl

Croda and BSI announce partnership to accelerate production of sustainable vaccine adjuvant QS-21

May 22, 2023. DAVIS, Calif.–Croda Pharma and BSI announced that they have entered into a strategic collaboration agreement to support the sustainable sourcing of pharmaceutical grade adjuvant QS-21, a potent component of adjuvant systems.

QS-21 is used in several innovative vaccines against diseases such as shingles, malaria and RSV, plus promising new vaccine and immunotherapy treatments such as cancer. This partnership sees the two organisations share expertise to bring to market QS-21 from Quillaja saponaria plant cell culture, delivering the most sustainable source of the adjuvant from plantlets in contrast with conventional methods that harvest mature trees to extract material from the bark. Furthermore, the partnership allows Croda to tackle further the industry challenge of limited supply sources for this critical component, helping customers to better secure their supply chain for QS-21.

This new partnership is aligned with Croda’s commitment to be the most sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients across its growth markets, and Daniele Piergentili, President Life Sciences at Croda, explains his excitement about the partnership. “It provides opportunity to build a scalable, and truly sustainable supply chain of QS-21 to the pharmaceutical industry. The plentiful supply of QS-21 enables the production of next generation adjuvant systems for new vaccine development.”

According to Gaston Salinas, CEO at BSI, “BSI and Croda Pharma are natural partners with a shared vision on removing the barriers that have prevented mass adoption of QS-21 for developing highly efficacious modern vaccines. Through this very exciting partnership we aim to supply kilogram-quantities of sustainable GMP QS-21.”

The announcement is in line with Croda’s strategy to “Empower biologics delivery” and follow news on previous investments to continue expanding Croda Pharma’s manufacturing capabilities in both US and UK, in order to enable the next generation vaccines and therapeutic drugs with their high purity excipients, lipids and adjuvant systems.

Peter Tygesen, Managing Director Adjuvant Systems, also commented: “BSI’s unique and innovative processes for growing Quillaja saponaria biomass in their labs and then extracting the QS-21 from these young plants isa game changing approach. We look forward to partnering with BSI and creating a robust, scalable, and sustainable supply chain for QS-21, enabling our customers to work with this gold standard vaccine adjuvant.”

 Croda Pharma

Croda’s Pharma business is a leading partner for the development of excipients and the supply of high purity materials for pharmaceutical formulations, committed to enabling the next generation of drug delivery systems. The business is focused on empowering biologics drug delivery, through its adjuvant systems, small molecule, protein, and nucleic acid delivery platforms. With a wide range of solutions for both human and animal health markets, our pharmaceutical portfolio is unsurpassed in its excellence for drug and vaccine delivery.

Croda’s products, along with its in-house formulation and regulatory expertise, allow the business to meet its customers most demanding formulation needs.

To learn more visit www.crodapharma.com

Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI)

BSI, a Delaware Corporation, has a proprietary R&D platform for truly sustainable and improved production of consistent and high-quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM). ABM-01 is the first ABM produced by the company, based on a tissue cultured plant called Quillaja saponaria. ABM-01 is the active ingredient used in two gold standard products, BSI’s biopesticide Quillibrium® and the adjuvant QS-21, used in modern vaccine development.

To learn more visit us at www.botanical-solution.com

Contacts

Jon Amdursky
jamdursky@aol.com

Also reported in Contract Pharma and Pharma Mirror

Quillibrium® Wins Crop Science Award for “Best New Biological Product (Biopesticide)”

November 17, 2022, DAVIS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI), innovator of sustainable, consistent and cost-effective Advanced Botanical Materials for agricultural and pharmaceutical applications, has won the Crop Science Award for “Best New Biological Product (Biopesticide)”.

“the product’s effectiveness and how its formulation is acceptable to users and distributors, forging a niche in a market dominated by synthetic chemicals. The judges were not looking for products that perform in the laboratory. We want to see biologicals that work in the real world.”

The best of the crop protection industry was recognized at the Crop Science Awards 2022, formerly known as the Agrow Awards. The 15th installment of the annual event, held online on 10 November, saw a global audience tune in to a live webcast to celebrate the achievements of industry peers.

The award for Best New Biological Product (Biopesticide) went to Botanical Solution’s Quillaja saponaria plant-based fungicide, Quillibrium.

According to the Crop Science Awards web site, the award criteria was based on “the product’s effectiveness and how its formulation is acceptable to users and distributors, forging a niche in a market dominated by synthetic chemicals. The judges were not looking for products that perform in the laboratory. We want to see biologicals that work in the real world.”

Competition was intense across most categories. In six, high commendations were granted to near-triumphant applications in addition to winners. BSI’s distribution partner for Quillibrium, Syngenta, led the winners with five winning awards.

One of the most highly contested awards was for Best Industry Collaboration. BSI and Syngenta were named finalist for this category.

Upon winning the Award, BSI CEO Gastón Salinas declared, “We have demonstrated that Quillibrium® is a great tool for growers looking for highly efficacious integrated pest management strategies against rapidly changing climate and disease pressure conditions. We are fortunate to take part of this incredibly rewarding and exciting journey, to develop essential and truly sustainable tools for supporting key challenges of modern agriculture. We are grateful to our partner Syngenta for helping us to augment and accelerate our value proposition to the end-users of Quillibrium. We’re happy and proud to share this Best Biological Product (Biopesticide) Award with the whole team of Syngenta Biologicals.”

Commenting on BSI’s Award, Syngenta’s Head of Global Biological Business Corey Huck declared, “A few weeks ago, we brought leaders, startups including BSI and those passionate about biologicals, together for our first-ever Biologicals Summit at our R&D site in Stein, Switzerland. Quillibrium and our partnership with BSI are great examples of how to create the right innovation ecosystem, to bring biological solutions to farmers everywhere, faster.”

About BSI

BSI, a Delaware Corporation, has a proprietary R&D platform for truly sustainable and improved production of consistent and high- quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM). ABM-01 is the first ABM produced by the company, based on a tissue cultured plant called Quillaja saponaria. ABM-01 is the active ingredient used in two gold standard products, BSI’s biopesticide Quillibrium® and the adjuvant QS-21, used in modern vaccine development. To learn more visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

Contacts

Jon Amdursky
jamdursky@outlook.com

Also reported in the Boston Herald

Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) ‘Finalist’ for “Best Industry Collaboration with Syngenta” in Crop Science Awards

BSI’s Quillibrium® also ‘Finalist’ for “Best New Biological Product of the Year”

October 18, 2022 (DAVIS, CA)– Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI), innovator of sustainable, consistent and cost-effective Advanced Botanical Materials for agricultural and pharmaceutical applications, has been named a ‘Finalist’ in the Crop Science Award for “Best Industry Collaboration with distribution partner Syngenta”.

In 2019, BSI launched an innovative botanical-based biofungicide extracted from a tree which grows in Chile known as the Quillaja saponaria. Deforrestation laws in Chile limit the exploitation of these trees, so BSI innovated and patented a unique method of growing these trees in their own laboratories, and then extracting the active ingredient while the trees are in vitro … baby trees… producing a highly efficacious biofungicide. Syngenta agreed to distribute this new product throughout Chile.

Originally, the new product was so effective in controlling Botrytis that it was marketed in Chile under the trade name BotriStop®. Through BSI’s and Syngenta’s collaborative efforts in working with researchers and growers throughout Chile and other countries, and testing the new product on so many different fruits and vegetables, it was validated that the new product is equally effective in controlling other plant diseases in addition to Botrytis, including Sour Rot, Powdery Mildew, Alternaria, et al. Consequently, BSI and Syngenta decided to rename the product Quillibrium®…”Quill” for the tree Quillaja saponaria, and “librium” for the equilibrium the product imparts for protecting fruits and vegetables from diseases in a sustainable way. The two partners also decided to expand its distribution into Peru and Mexico where it is currently available. BSI is also testing Quillibrium® in the USA and other geographic regions.

BSI CEO Gastón Salinas declared “ Syngenta is a truly outstanding distribution partner. Thanks to the expertise and dedication of Syngenta’s technical, field staff and management team, their passion for effective and sustainable solutions, and their thoroughness in field testing, we have demonstrated that Quillibrium® is a great tool for designing highly efficacious integrated pest management strategies. We have tested and proven that Quillibrium® works especially well in rotation with Syngenta’s chemical pesticide products, helping to augment the efficacy of these products. Consequently, we’re happy and proud to share this “Best Industry Collaboration” recognition with our Syngenta partners.”

Commenting on the BSI – Syngenta partnership, Syngenta’s Head of Global Biological Business Development Laszlo Laczko declared, “I am impressed by the innovative in vitro production and extraction process of BSI, as well as their future pipeline of botanical-based products. These products represent highly sustainable tools for growers because they are highly efficacious, easy-to-use, and have zero chemical residues. Our partnership is built on mutual trust and solid complementary expertise, where BSI delivered the product innovation and Syngenta took on the market development and commercialization.”

Syngenta Biologicals North America Business Lead Mark Jirak added, “BSI’s Quillibrium® has shown in trials to be an effective biofungicide to protect against major diseases in fruits and vegetables. When registered, it will be a welcome sustainable tool for US growers to use to keep their crops healthy.”.

BSI’s Quillibrium® was also named by the Crop Science judges as  ‘Finalist’ for the “Best New Biological Product of the Year”, and earlier this year BSI was awarded “Best Biotech Startup Business of The Year” by the World BioProtection Forum.

About BSI

BSI, a Delaware Corporation has a proprietary R&D platform for truly sustainable and improved production of consistent and high-quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM). ABM-01 is the first ABM produced by the company, based on a tissue cultured plant called Quillaja saponaria. ABM-01 is the active ingredient used in two gold standard products, BSI’s biopesticide Quillibrium® and the adjuvant QS-21, used in modern vaccine development. To learn more visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

Contacts

Jon Amdursky
jamdursky@outlook.com

Also reported in the Boston Herald

BSI Wins Best Biotech Startup Business of the Year 2022 Award

BSI Secures $6.1 Million in Series A First Closing

January 17, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

DAVIS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI), innovator of sustainable, consistent and cost-effective Advanced Botanical Materials for agricultural and pharmaceutical applications, has successfully closed $6.1 million in a Series A round led by Palo Alto based VC Firm, Otter Capital. This round of funding will enhance BSI’s value proposition by facilitating the geographic expansion of its current botanical-based products and development of a new product pipeline derived from its proprietary biotech platform.

“The BSI team is really excited to welcome Otter Capital. We are happy to reconfirm the strong commitment from our current investors, as well. BSI is building strong foundations to deliver the world’s most advanced botanical biopesticides and ensure the supply of the gold standard vaccine adjuvant QS-21.”

For agricultural markets, this Series A round of funding will support the production and sales growth of BSI’s first commercially successful product marketed as BotriStop® and its recently announced global brand Quillibrium®, which are based on a tissue cultured tree native to Chile, the Quillaja saponaria. The product has been used successfully on a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout Chile. Quillibrium® was launched in Peru last year with great success and will soon reach growers across Mexico through BSI’s main distribution partner Syngenta. Quillibrium® continues regulatory progress in the US and will soon initiate registration in additional countries to expand its global footprint. This new funding will also accelerate market readiness of new botanical biopesticide products currently in later development stages and enable the expansion of BSI’s R&D pipeline.

For pharmaceutical markets, BSI’s new funding will vastly increase the quantity of Quillaja saponaria plants that can be grown at BSI’s labs and the sustainable production of billions of doses of gold standard adjuvant QS-21, traditionally obtained from old native trees that are increasingly affected by climate change and strict deforestation laws in Chile. QS-21 is currently used in Covid-19 and malaria vaccines, as well as a blockbuster shingles vaccine. With this funding BSI will become a major supplier of pharmaceutical grade QS-21.

BSI CEO Gastón Salinas declared, “The BSI team is really excited to welcome Otter Capital. We are happy to reconfirm the strong commitment from our current investors, as well. BSI is building strong foundations to deliver the world’s most advanced botanical biopesticides and ensure the supply of the gold standard vaccine adjuvant QS-21.”

According to John Pasquesi, Managing Member at Otter Capital, “I am excited to partner with BSI. BSI has established a strong market presence via distribution agreements with Syngenta and effective, profitable products. BSI’s product development platform is efficient and scalable. Botanical products have excellent consistency and BSI’s approach is truly sustainable. These products have applications in two very large markets – agriculture and pharmaceuticals. I am very impressed by the team at BSI and the progress they have made with limited resources under Gastón’s leadership.”

Two longtime investors joining Otter Capital in this First Closing of the Series A are Inversiones el Coigue and Inversiones Eurocel, both based in Santiago, Chile.

About BSI

BSI, a Delaware Corporation has a proprietary R&D platform for truly sustainable and improved production of consistent and high- quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM). ABM-01 is the first ABM produced by the company, based on a tissue cultured plant called Quillaja saponaria. ABM-01 is the active ingredient used in two gold standard products, BSI’s biopesticide Quillibrium® and the adjuvant QS-21, used in modern vaccine development. To learn more visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

About Otter Capital

Otter Capital was founded by John Pasquesi to make a variety of private equity investments. Otter Capital has a strong track record investing in leading edge agriculture companies. Otter was an early and consistent investor in AgraQuest, a leading biopesticide company where Mr. Pasquesi served as chairman of the board of directors. In 2012, Bayer CropScience acquired AgraQuest for $425 million. More recently, Otter Capital invested in the agricultural biotechnology companies BioConsortia, Inc. and NewLeaf Symbiotics, Inc. Mr. Pasquesi serves on the board of directors of BioConsortia and as chairman of the board of NewLeaf. Otter Capital is an investor in Inguran LLC dba Sexing Technologies, the world’s leading supplier of sexed semen to the dairy industry and a leading provider of dairy and beef genetics. Mr. Pasquesi serves on the board of managers of Inguran.

Contacts

Jon Amdursky, Botanical Solution Inc.
Jamdursky@aol.com

Also reported in  PharmaMirror Magazine and 2B Monthly

New Botanical-Based Biofungicide Expanding Distribution Under Strong Partnership Between Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) and Syngenta

March 09, 2021 05:17 PM Eastern Standard Time

DAVIS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) and Syngenta, two companies which are closely aligned in their commitment to innovation and sustainability in agriculture, announce that they have reached an agreement to commercialize BSI’s first product in Peru and Mexico. The two companies have already commercialized successfully the product in Chile under the trade name Botristop®.

“BotriStop is a sustainable product, in line with Syngenta’s philosophy, and perfectly complements our portfolio in order to meet the needs of producers.”

This biofungicide has been field-tested for several years and proven to be highly efficacious and consistent in the prevention and control of Botrytis cinerea, especially for conventional growers of blueberries, vines and vegetables.

This innovative product is based on the extract of Quillaja saponariaMolina, a plant native to Chile. This biofungicide’s unique modes of action provide growers with an effective tool for resistance management and allow worldwide exports of top-quality fresh produce, while meeting the world´s strictest MRL guidelines.

According to BSI CEO Gaston Salinas, “BSI has innovated and patented a unique method of growing and extracting the key ingredient when the tree is grown in vitro. This means we do not have to cut down an acre of trees to protect an acre of grapes. We grow and extract from baby trees, which we grow in our laboratory facilities, and produce as much as is needed without cutting down a single tree. What’s more, our product leaves no chemical residue whatsoever. That’s real sustainability.”

In 2019, Syngenta launched BotriStop in Chile. In 2020 new uses were approved in the country, such as sour rot. It is estimated that currently over 25,000 hectares are protected by the product in Chile.

Meanwhile, both Companies have recently agreed to further plans for distribution throughout Peru and Mexico.

Juan Melendez, Syngenta Fungicides Portfolio Manager for Latin America North, states that “This agreement is the perfect blend of innovation and performance to meet fresh food production needs in Peru and Mexico and hopefully in many other countries in the future.”

Syngenta remains committed in its “Good Growth Plan” since 2013, with the goal of “improving farmers’ productivity and profit throughout the world with fewer resources, while protecting nature and improving life for people in rural communities.” For the years 2020–25, Syngenta’s “Good Growth Plan” calls for a $2 billion investment in sustainable agricultural breakthroughs, two new sustainable technology breakthroughs a year, and to strive for the lowest residues in crops and the environment.

According to Syngenta’s Federico Gonzalez, Marketing Head Chile, “BotriStop is a sustainable product, in line with Syngenta’s philosophy, and perfectly complements our portfolio in order to meet the needs of producers.”

Diego Ibanez, BSI’s Territory Manager, declared, “Today, much of our operation is in Chile, but soon we’ll be working with Syngenta in Peru, Mexico and other markets as we move forward with our first biofungicide and launch new products from BSI’s innovative pipeline of botanical-based extracts for sustainable agriculture.”

About BSI

BSI is a venture-backed corporation based in Davis, California. The Company has developed a proprietary R&D platform for sustainable and improved production of Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM) that addresses critical and well-known issues related to current production of key traditional botanical raw materials, often obtained under exploitation of natural resources. These issues include the limited supply of materials, geo-political dependence and a sizeable environmental footprint. Additionally, active ingredients derived from traditional botanical raw materials inherit problems of variable consistency, limited production and increasing cost. Botanical Solution’s R&D Platform relies on scalable plant tissue culture techniques that allow scalable and sustainable supply of key botanical materials, geo-political freedom and no environmental footprint. Derived active ingredients have a high consistency and can be manufactured on demand in a cost-effective manner by BSI. Visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources. Through world class science and innovative crop solutions, our 28,000 people in over 90 countries are working to transform how crops are grown. We are committed to rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/Syngenta.

Contacts

Jon Amdursky
jamdursky@aol.com

A Sustainable Future With QS-21, the ‘Gold Standard’ of Human Immune System Activators for COVID-19 and Other Vaccines Featured at 2021 BIO CEO & Investor Conference

February 16, 2021 05:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time

DAVIS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A novel approach for ensuring the virtually unlimited production of QS-21, the ‘Gold Standard’ adjuvant for improving vaccine efficacy, will be the subject of an upcoming presentation at the BIO CEO & Investor Digital Conference, starting February 16.

“BSI is well-positioned to become the industry’s most reliable and cost-effective supplier of GMP quality QS-21 worldwide.”

Gaston Salinas, CEO of Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) will address the Conference, introducing an innovative approach for the production of QS-21 based on BSI’s proprietary Advanced Botanical Materials. Mr. Salinas will also address additional issues of quality, cost and the sizeable environmental footprint required for traditional sourcing of raw materials, which BSI has solved using plant tissue culture.

QS-21 is traditionally extracted from a tree native to Chile known as the Quillaja saponaria. However, there are regulatory restrictions on deforestation of this tree, and projected demand for QS-21 is in the billions of doses annually.

Mr. Salinas will explain how BSI plans to become the world’s largest supplier of QS-21, among other high value saponins, under GMP conditions, at a low cost, and without any negative environmental impact.

BSI’s R&D platform, manufacturing capabilities and products based on Advanced Botanical Materials have been tested and proven in another multibillion dollar market dominated by fierce competition, large scale operations, challenging price points and limited margins… the agricultural industry. BSI has partnered with Syngenta, a global leader in agrochemicals with $13.5 billion in annualized revenues, to successfully launch its first botanical-based biopesticide, BotriStop®, in the country of Chile for a wide variety of high-value crops. BotriStop plans a roll-out into Peru later this year and its launch is also anticipated for Mexico and the U.S. during late 2022. BSI and Mr. Salinas will also be featured within the ‘Top Innovators’ section at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, March 9 – 10, 2021.

According to Mr. Salinas, “BSI is well-positioned to become the industry’s most reliable and cost-effective supplier of GMP quality QS-21 worldwide.”

About BSI

BSI is a venture-backed corporation based in Davis, California. The Company has developed a proprietary R&D platform for sustainable and improved production of Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM) that addresses critical and well-known issues related to current production of key traditional botanical raw materials, often obtained under exploitation of natural resources. These issues include the limited supply of materials, geo-political dependence and a sizeable environmental footprint. Additionally, active ingredients derived from traditional botanical raw materials inherit problems of variable consistency, limited production and increasing cost. Botanical Solution’s R&D Platform relies on scalable plant tissue culture techniques that allow scalable and sustainable supply of key botanical materials, geo-political freedom and no environmental footprint. Visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

Contacts

Jon Amdursky
jamdursky@aol.com

Also reported in  PharmaMirror Magazine and World Pharma Today

Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) Secures $3.3 Million in Funding with Second Round Planned for Spring 2021

December 23, 2020 03:27 PM Eastern Standard Time

DAVIS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI),

innovator of sustainable, highly consistent and cost effective Advanced Botanical Materials, has successfully secured $3.3 million in a seed round of funding, and is planning another round of funding for Spring 2021.

The Spring 2021 Round of funding will boost BSI’s proven ability to discover and develop novel botanical products that are sustainable, highly consistent and cost effective. BSI’s proprietary biotechnology platform eliminates the major barriers, such as supply and quality issues, which have prevented traditional botanicals from becoming commercially successful.

BSI’s first commercially successful product is the biofungicide BotriStop®, which is based on a tree native to Chile, the Quillaja saponaria. The seed round of funding is supporting product production and sales growth of BotriStop biofungicide initially in Chile through BSI’s distribution partner Syngenta. BotriStop will soon be registered in a number of key Latin American countries and regulatory progress is expected in the U.S. and E.U. during 2021.

BSI’s in-lab growth capabilities for Quillaja saponaria plants using biotechnology processes will serve additional purposes, such as the sustainable production of billions of doses of the ‘Gold Standard’ adjuvant QS-21, currently used in Covid-19 and other vaccines. QS-21 has been in relatively short supply due to strict deforestation laws in Chile… but thanks to BSI’s proprietary technique for extracting this human immune system activator when the trees are in vitro, this Company can meet worldwide demand for QS-21 right from its own laboratories, and do so without harming any trees.

BSI plans to become a major supplier of pharmaceutical grade QS-21 to address the serious challenges presented by the imminent shortage of this key vaccine adjuvant.

BSI received $3.3 million in funding from multiple organizations, most recently including the International Development Bank (IDB). Other investors include Inmobiliaria e Inversiones el Coigue, El Viento, Sociedad de Invesiones Celta, The Yield Lab Business Accelerator, Ganeshalab Business Accelerator, Sembrador Capital, and ‘angel investors’ Ignacio Smith and Wolfgang Schuch.

According to CEO Gastón Salinas, “BSI has a breakthrough technology for the cost-effective and reliable production of high quality botanicals for agriculture and pharma, filling critical gaps in these markets. We are currently addressing key strategic and distribution issues, and are well-positioned to solve major problems in the areas of sustainable agriculture and large scale production and reliable supply of QS-21 for pharma.”

About BSI

BSI, a Delaware Corporation has a proprietary R&D platform for sustainable and improved production of consistent, high quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM). ABM-01 is the first ABM produced by the company, based on a plant called Quillaja saponaria. ABM-01 is the active ingredient used in two gold standard products, BSI’s biopesticide BotriStop® and the adjuvant QS-21, used in modern vaccine development. To learn more visit us at www.botanical-solution.com.

Contacts

Jon Amdursky
jamdursky@aol.com

Also reported in  PharmaMirror Magazine

Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) Appoints Marcus Meadows-Smith to their Board

Bio-Ag industry pioneer and business leader Meadows-Smith to help guide BSI’s growth strategy in the agricultural biopesticide and pharmaceutical vaccine adjuvant markets

September 01, 2020 12:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time

DAVIS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI), an innovator of sustainable, highly consistent and cost effective Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM), has appointed Marcus Meadows-Smith to its Board of Directors. As a proven, successful, and recognized leader within the agrochemical industry, Meadows-Smith will advise and support the management team’s current efforts to bring novel biopesticides and a gold standard vaccine adjuvant to global markets.

“I’m very pleased to serve on the Board of this innovative Company, which I believe will be making an increasingly important contribution to improving plant and human health.”

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Meadows-Smith is currently CEO of BioConsortia Inc., a leading discoverer of microbial crop protection and crop enhancement products. Prior to that, he turned around the biopesticide business AgraQuest Inc. over a four-year timeframe, signing partnership agreements between a bio-ag company and several big agchemical giants, culminating in Marcus’ company being acquired by Bayer CropScience for over $400 million. Following Bayer’s acquisition of AgraQuest, he became head of biologics for Bayer CropScience. Previously, Meadows-Smith had a 14-year career at Chemtura Corporation, assuming multiple managerial roles and ultimately becoming EVP for a $2 billion portfolio of businesses that included crop protection, consumer products, and plastics additives.

A unique and patented R & D platform, based on plant tissue culture, allows BSI to discover and develop botanical products that are sustainable, highly consistent and cost effective. This R & D platform eliminates the major barriers, such as supply and quality issues, that have prevented traditional botanicals from becoming truly commercially successful.

BSI’s first product “ABM-01” is based on a plant which is native to Chile, named Quillaja saponaria molina. This product is the active ingredient used in the production of their biopesticide Botristop®, and the adjuvant QS-21, the gold standard adjuvant for modern vaccines development.

BSI successfully launched Botristop® with Syngenta in Chile in 2019. This partnership has greatly benefited local high value crop growers who now have access to advanced and effective IPM strategies. Botristop®´s unique modes of action allow worldwide exports of top quality fresh produce, while meeting the world´s strictest MRL guidelines. Botristop® will soon be registered in a number of key Latin American countries. Additional regulatory actions are also expected in the U.S. and E.U. during 2020 and 2021, respectively.

In the Pharma space, BSI plans to become a key supplier of pharmaceutical grade QS-21 to address serious challenges of its imminent shortage of this key vaccine adjuvant. QS-21 is currently used in several COVID-19 vaccine candidates, among other vaccines candidates with broader target diseases in different stages of development.

QS-21 has traditionally been obtained from wild raw materials sources, with high manufacturing costs of this remarkably effective human innate immune activator.

According to Mr. Meadows-Smith, “BSI has a breakthrough technology for the cost-effective and reliable production of key high quality botanicals, filling a need gap in the market. BSI’s products have been proven through extensive field trials on multiple crops in key countries. This includes the successful launch by Syngenta in Chile, the first country to gain an ag registration.” Meadows-Smith added, “QS-21 has become the ‘Gold Standard’ for human vaccine adjuvants, and BSI is well-positioned to become a reliable, cost effective supplier to the pharmaceutical market.”

Meadows-Smith concluded, “I’m very pleased to serve on the Board of this innovative Company, which I believe will be making an increasingly important contribution to improving plant and human health.”

BSI CEO, Gaston Salinas, declared, “I feel honored to have Marcus onboard. I believe his valuable experience will spillover across the Company and will allow us to make the right decisions at the right time, and materialize a long-term vision for our business. We are currently addressing key strategic and distribution decisions in different markets worldwide for Agriculture and Pharma. Marcus´ unique vision and expertise arrives at the perfect time for BSI.”

Visit us at www.botanical-solution.com

About BSI

BSI is a venture-backed corporation based in Davis, California. The Company has developed a proprietary R&D platform for sustainable and improved production of Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM) that addresses critical and well- known issues related to current production of key traditional botanical raw materials, often obtained under exploitation of natural resources. These issues include the limited supply of materials, geo-political dependence and a sizeable environmental footprint. Additionally, active ingredients derived from traditional botanical raw materials inherit problems of variable consistency, limited production and increasing cost. Botanical Solution’s R&D Platform relies on scalable plant tissue culture techniques that allow scalable and sustainable supply of key botanical materials, geo-political freedom and no environmental footprint. Derived active ingredients have a high consistency and can be manufactured on demand in a cost-effective manner by BSI.

Contacts

Jon Amdursky
jamdursky@aol.com

Also reported in World Pharma Today, Fresh Fruit Portal.com, Yahoo Finance, Chemicals Knowledge Hub, and Pharma Marketing