For decades, farmers have relied on chemical fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics to enhance food production. But the rapid modernization of agriculture to meet rising demands has its perils.
To solve such problems, biotechnology companies are turning to living organisms and natural materials for inspiration. And alongside their biology‑first innovations, their strategic use of intellectual property (IP) is equally important.
Unibaio: waste to wealth
Argentina’s seafood industry produces significant amounts of crustacean shell waste every year, much of it dumped along the Patagonian coast, says Unibaio CEO Matias Figliozzi. There, it poses a threat to marine life and coastal biodiversity. So he asked himself, what if there was a way to turn this waste into an asset?
Founded in 2020 and based in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Unibaio extracts chitosan from shell waste and transforms the natural biopolymer into microparticles that carry the active ingredients in pesticides, fertilizers and plant health products. In short, it turns crab and shrimp shells into biodegradable crop boosters.
“It’s like giving pesticides a biological GPS,” says Figliozzi. “Our particles know exactly where to go inside the plant and how to get there efficiently. The result is healthier crops with less chemical input.”
Unibaio has held field trials across multiple crops. “In corn, our additive increased pesticide effectiveness by 25 percent, while cutting chemical use by 40 percent,” Figliozzi says. “For soybean farmers facing fungal threats, it delivered the same level of protection with 80 percent less fungicide.”
The environmental benefits are compelling. Less chemical runoff means cleaner rivers and streams. Fewer spray applications translate to lower fuel use and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. And because the chitosan particles break down naturally, they leave no residues in soil or water.
“Combining patents with trade secrets creates multiple layers of protection.”
In an industry such as agritech, where development can involve multimillion-dollar investments and regulatory approval can take years, IP plays a critical role in protecting innovation. Unibaio has filed three patents covering its chitosan-based microparticles: multilayer charge architecture, size-and-weight tuning, and application in agrochemical formulations. These patents anchor licensing discussions with major players such as Bayer while preventing competitors from copying Unibaio’s core innovations.
Equally important is what Unibaio keeps secret. “Our bonding techniques, scale-up processes and formulation optimizations are proprietary and protected by trade secrets and confidentiality agreements,” Figliozzi says. “Combining patents for defensive positioning with trade secrets for operational advantage creates multiple layers of protection against competition and infringement.”
The company has also trademarked its brand elements, including the Unibaio name and logo, and its first commercial product, Turbo Charge. Those registrations strengthen brand recognition and represent valuable company assets.
PhageLab: Going viral with phages
In Santiago, Chile, PhageLab employs a similar hybrid IP strategy to Unibaio. Composition and platform patents protect its core inventions, which include phage formulations and AI-driven design methods. Its manufacturing protocols and scale-up know-how, meanwhile, remain trade secrets, preventing competitors from replicating its industrial processes even if they understand the underlying science.
“We don’t patent everything,” says Mario Carrasco, PhageLab’s head of IP. “Some processes are best protected as trade secrets, especially when they involve tacit knowledge that’s difficult to reverse-engineer.”
PhageLab is developing viruses that target harmful bacteria in farm animals. Known as bacteriophages – literally “bacteria eaters” – these viruses seek out bacterial strains with remarkable precision, offering a selective and natural alternative to broad-spectrum antibiotics, which can harm beneficial gut bacteria.
“Our IP department not only protects our innovations but drives them.”
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing problems facing agriculture and global public health today. The World Health Organization estimates that AMR resulted in 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and that drug-resistant infections could cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Livestock farming, which consumes about 70 percent of global antibiotic production, is at the heart of this crisis: the heavy use of antimicrobials in livestock, for example, can lead to the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria.
“Think of antibiotics as cutting power to an entire city and phages as flipping the switch on a single faulty circuit,” says Carrasco. “We can eliminate Salmonella or E. coli without touching the beneficial bacteria that keep animals healthy.”
The company’s breakthrough lies in industrializing nature’s activity. Its machine-learning platform continuously analyses bacterial genomes, identifying vulnerabilities and matching them with phage candidates from its growing library.
“When bacterial strains inevitably evolve, our proprietary AI system automatically updates phage cocktails to maintain effectiveness,” Carrasco adds. “This dynamic approach addresses the pressing problem of AMR.”
Early results are promising. “In controlled trials with poultry operations, our phage cocktails reduced Salmonella prevalence by over 30 percent compared to untreated controls. Dairy calf trials showed similar success against E. coli and Salmonella strains, with treated animals showing improved weight gain and 80 percent lower morbidity and mortality also dropping.”
MoonBiotech: unleashing the power of microbes
Meanwhile in China, MoonBiotech is harnessing the diversity of soil microbes, one of agriculture’s richest and most untapped resources, to advance soil health and sustainable productivity.
Founded in 2015 and based in Guangzhou, the company specializes in microbial biofertilizers. Its vast microbial library comprises more than 320,000 strains representing 22,000 species, all isolated exclusively from ecosystems across China. Using its archive, MoonBiotech identifies and perfects strains with specific functions for three core sectors: sustainable agriculture, biopharma and alternative microproteins for food applications.
“Our IPO ambitions draw heavily on this proven IP‑driven value model.”
“Every soil and biological sample we collect carries potential for a new solution,” says Dr. Armanda, MoonBiotech vice‑president. “Our mission is to harness nature’s microbial diversity to create products that strengthen agriculture, human health and food resilience.”
“Our plant‑based screens allow us to identify highly functional microbes with protective or growth-promoting attributes,” adds Dr. Lindsay, COO. The screened strains serve as the basis for biofertilizers that can substitute or complement chemical inputs while restoring soil vitality.
MoonBiotech pursues IP protection aggressively. The company has filed 15 PCT applications, plus national filings in the United States of America, the European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Brazil. Additional filings include 85 patents and 108 trademarks in China, six US patents and eight US trademarks, plus multiple applications in Brazil and the EU.
The company’s approach to IP includes biodiversity compliance and benefit-sharing frameworks. “Before any strain leaves our facility, we verify its genome identity and set contractual benefit‑sharing terms,” Dr. Lindsay says. "That level of traceability ensures compliance with biodiversity frameworks and reinforces partner trust.”
Those IP assets underpin licensing negotiations, attract strategic investors and create leverage for international growth. As Dr. Armanda explains: “Our IPO ambitions, planned within the next two to three years, draw heavily on this proven IP‑driven value model.”
Strong IP strategies underpin steep upfront investments
Developing agricultural biotechnology requires massive upfront investment while the returns are uncertain. The IP strategies of Unibaio, PhageLab and MoonBiotech, then, are driven by market forces.
Unibaio has invested almost USD 2 million and expects to spend up to USD 6 million to reach commercial readiness. “Clearly this is an expensive undertaking,” Figliozzi says. “We must justify R&D investments to win investor trust and secure long-term commercial viability. That means optimizing production, improving scalability and navigating regulatory approval, all while competing against well-funded chemical giants.”
“We have regular training sessions to integrate IP thinking into corporate culture”
PhageLab also faces steep costs. “Taking a phage product through development can cost millions depending on facility investments, quality systems and regulatory processes,” Carrasco says. The company anticipates a Series B funding round in Q4 2026 to explore multi-species solutions and international market expansion.
MoonBiotech’s development timeline varies by application. Microbial agricultural products typically require one to two years and approximately one million US dollars in development costs. Pesticide applications can take up to five years, reflecting more complex regulatory pathways, while biopharmaceutical and probiotic lines demand even longer timelines and larger investments.
Such investments only make sense with strong IP protection, which is why these companies treat IP not as an afterthought but as organizational DNA.
“We have regular training sessions to integrate IP thinking into corporate culture, ensuring all employees understand how their work contributes to our competitive advantage,” Dr. Armanda says.
“Our IP department not only protects our innovations but drives them,” says Carrasco of PhageLab. “We have a patent-incentive program that encourages employee submissions, with financial rewards for innovations with strong patent potential.”
“Your IP is a launching pad for growth, not just to secure your technology.”
Unibaio has partnered with Itera to manage IP rights and create value from innovation. “We have incorporated internal processes to identify and protect our innovation, including confidentiality clauses and IP rights in agreements with employees and strategic partners,” Figliozzi says.
By building an IP-focused culture, these companies encourage employees to act as innovation engines and scouts, surfacing patentable discoveries before their rivals do.
IP essentials: practical tips for innovators
Much can be learnt from these innovators’ approach to IP. First and foremost: file early and strategically. As soon as a lab breakthrough looks commercially viable, says Dr. Armanda, start the legal paperwork so that the technology can be secured as R&D continues.
Carrasco urges companies to treat IP as an asset, not merely a defensive barrier. “Your IP is a launching pad for growth, not just to secure your technology,” he says, encouraging entrepreneurs to consider how patents can open markets, attract partners and create revenue, rather than only blocking competitors.
“Patents should match commercialization milestones – file a key patent before a big demo or licensing talk,” says Figliozzi, stressing the importance of aligning IP with business goals. He urges small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to use their IP to demonstrate their readiness for the next stage of development, whether that’s a field trial, regulatory submission or scale‑up.
All three companies recommend investing in IP culture by encouraging staff to spot and report inventions, celebrating patent grants and running clear training and disclosure processes so that scientists can become active champions of protection.
Above all, though, the above companies treat IP as ongoing work, not a one‑off task. Protection is designed to defend businesses and enable growth beyond initial filings.
Together, these three companies represent a new model for agricultural innovation and IP management, proving that with the right combination of scientific development and strategy, small biotechnology companies can have an outsized impact.
As they scale globally, their biology-first solutions offer hope for feeding growing populations without destroying the ecosystems that sustain us. As Dr. Lindsay puts it: “Biotechnology is not just about discovery; it’s also about designing systems of trust.”
The companies featured in this article were shortlisted in the WIPO Global Awards 2025. Selected from a record 780 applications across 95 countries, the finalists exemplify how IP can be used strategically to scale solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges.
The annual competition is open to SMEs, startups and university spinouts that use IP to create value for their business. The next call for entries will open before the year’s end. Watch this space.
About the author
Paul Omondi is a writer specializing in technology, intellectual property, sustainability and business. He focuses on the intersection of innovation and impactful solutions.
