Pluton Biosciences, a fast-growing St. Louis biotechnology startup is teaming up with Bayer’s crop science division on development of a product aimed at helping farmers mitigate their carbon footprint.
Pluton Biosciences has entered into a research agreement with Germany-based Bayer to lead research on the “microbial-based carbon capture” product, which officials said could lessen atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions and aid growers’ soil. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Founded in 2017, Pluton has developed a process, called micromining, that it says allows for inexpensive examinations of microorganisms in soil samples to discover new bacteria, fungi and viruses. The company’s research and testing is focused on developing natural products designed to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals in industries such as agriculture and pest control.
Pluton is part of the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a partnership with Danforth Plant Science Center that connects agtech startups with infrastructure and scientific expertise to conduct research to further develop and validate their innovative solutions that utilize digital agriculture to produce food more sustainably. READ MORE