Among the Cade Prize Sweet 16, the company forming around Cankicide is unique in a number of ways. From Orlando, the company is one of two semifinalists not based in Gainesville, and Cankicide is also built around a technology licensed from the University of Central Florida.
Without a name, it is also one of the earliest-stage companies among the semi-finalists. However, Cankicide delivers a field-tested product that could help fix a $600 million problem for Florida’s citrus growers.
Citrus canker is a bacterial disease that infects citrus trees, leaving unsightly lesions and causing fruits to drop prematurely. The disease represents a costly problem for the citrus industry – which is estimated to be worth $9 billion to Florida annually. In 2005, the state switched to a policy of canker control. Previous eradication efforts proved infeasible after the hurricanes of 2004, which spread the disease throughout the state.
Currently, growers spray a copper-based anti-microbial compound on trees. This spray is not always effective and can be washed or blown away over time. Cankicide uses nanotechnology to create an improved delivery system for existing anti-canker solutions. Cankicide provides a way to more efficiently deliver the anti-canker agent to targeted plants to control the disease, providing a price and performance advantage to growers.
The use of nanoparticles in the bactericide increases the persistence and coverage on plants and fruit, since Cankicide can be made for tailored interactions with different citrus. The process also reduces the environmental impact of repeated spraying and chemical runoff.
Cankicide has had inquiries from citrus growers and has conducted documented field trials, but the company is currently packaging field data to earn EPA clearance on the system. After Cankicide earns approval, the company will target growers and establish a distribution network for the product.
As an early stage company, most of the work has been focused on making Cankicide into a viable product for market. Through the Cade Prize, Bernd Liesenfeld said the company hopes to improve the business side of the company to match its advanced technical work. Liesenfeld knows that despite having a viable, proven product, the company is at the earliest stage in its business development.
“The Cade prize is really helping us on the business side,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to give yourselves a deadline, and we knew we had to develop a business plan. We’ve already gotten a lot of help just experiencing everything the Cade Prize has to offer.”
To find out more about the Cade Prize, visit CadeMuseum.org and keep an eye on the blog for more on the Cade Prize Sweet 16.
