To lead the movement of saving Florida’s citrus with synthetic biology in an atmosphere enriched with empathy, curiosity, and ingenuity
Originating in Asia, it was first discovered in Florida in the early 21st century. Now, 80% of Florida crops are infected by the disease.
The Citrus Psyllid
Greening bacteria (CLas) is transmitted from tree to tree by the Asian Citrus Psyllid. When feeding on an infected tree, the psyllid ingests the bacteria and stores it in its gut, releasing it when it feeds on a new, uninfected tree.
A Grower's Nightmare
Citrus greening has caused shorter life span of fruit, premature fruit drops, and smaller overall yields. The Florida citrus industry is currently in danger of eradication.
Need For a Cure
With billions of dollars at stake, the Florida citrus industry cannot afford to start from scratch. Instead, growers must treat all of their existing trees before it’s too late.
- Economic Impact
- 10+ Billion Dollars
- Trees Infected
- 80% of Florida Citrus Trees
- Innovative Therapy
- 6 Antimicrobial Peptides
- Antibiotic Cocktails
- To Save Florida's Citrus
Our Creative Process
Our Human Practices team reached out to growers across Florida to get their feedback on our potential solutions and carefully thought about how our solution could impact the health of the trees and the environment.
Our Design Team spoke with different experts and professors, helped plan and coordinate experiments, and constructed DNA templates for the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).
Our Modeling Team wrote code focused on the chemical, material, and cost analyses aspects enabling growers to calculate how much AMP needs to be used when treating crops. Our engineers also built a prototype injection system to update current delivery methods to a higher standard.