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The Fertilizers Market size is estimated at 381.7 billion USD in 2024, and is expected to reach 541.2 billion USD by 2030 CITE. This is not surprising because
What if we could reach that optimal point without the need for fertilizers? For example, by manufacturing genetically modified seeds that produce crops capable of fixing their own nitrogen? In addition to saving farmers billions and saving thousands of lives
At NitroBLAST, we are focusing on transforming global agriculture. Our ultimate goal is to create sustainable, nitrogen-fixing crops that help farmers rely less on chemical fertilizers, while still ensuring strong crop yields. By doing this, we aim to empower farmers to embrace our technology and contribute to reducing the environmental impact of fertilizers.
Farms across the country are losing massive amounts of nitrogen—74% of what they apply, or about 312,000 tons, is wasted each year. This nitrogen, meant to nourish crops, instead ends up polluting our air and soil. Most of it comes from over-f
For staple crops like cereals and maize, up to 40% of farm operating costs go toward fertilizers CITE, and the rising costs have triggered protests across Europe, with Dutch farmers at the forefront CITE. Attempts to curb nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands have only deepened the tension.
The consequences of over-fertilization are profound, leading to environmental devastation such as harmful algal blooms, air pollution, and serious health risks. Yet, despite its harmful effects, fertilizer is critical for boosting crop yields at a time when the global population is growing and food demand continues to skyrocket. Tackling this problem is not just a national issue—it’s a global priority that demands immediate and innovative solutions.
At NitroBLAST, we’re taking an exciting first step toward solving the nitrogen crisis by giving crops the ability to naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen.
Our research centers on incorporating a nitrogen-fixing organelle, called the Nitroplast, into eukaryotic cells, and eventually plant seeds. This innovation is inspired by a natural partnership between the cyanobacteria UCYN-A and the marine alga B. bigelowii. Using synthetic biology, we’re working to introduce this nitrogen-fixing capability into important crops like wheat, corn, and rice, much like how peas and beans already partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
The result? Crops that can fix their own nitrogen directly from the atmosphere, reducing or even eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers. This means lower costs for farmers and fewer environmental problems caused by fertilizer overuse. Unlike traditional fertilizers, which require energy-intensive production and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, NitroBLAST crops would work naturally inside the plant, helping to minimize agriculture’s carbon footprint.
We imagine a future where crops can thrive in nutrient-poor soils without harmful chemicals, supporting sustainable farming that protects water sources, reduces pollution, and preserves biodiversity.
Over the course of this iGEM project, the TU Delft iGEM team has worked on entrepreneurial ideas for the commercialization of our product, NitroBLAST seeds. In this section, we will highlight this product, its use in today's world and the commercialization strategy that we could potentially adopt.
In the ideal scenario, our marketable product would be a NitroBLAST seed, which would give rise to a plant that fixes its own nitrogen, thus omitting the need for fertilizer. After discussion with experts in the field of plant seeds technologies, we discovered that the realization of such a seed would involve incorporation of the nitroplast at the embryonic stage or in the meristem. Once we have completed research and development, our product would be a NitroBLAST seed. Our target buyers would be seed companies, with a focus on plant breeding. For every subsequent sale made by these companies on NitroBLAST seeds of any generation thereafter, our company would receive a fixed share of the profits made by this sale.
For the realization of our product, we developed a commercialization strategy, through which we could make the transition from the lab to the market. In this section, we have outlined steps for the commercialization of our product.
The Lean Canvas is a simplified, one-page business model framework designed to help entrepreneurs and startups quickly outline and validate their business ideas. The focus is on identifying key assumptions, problems, and solutions early on, allowing for faster testing and iteration. We have designed the following Lean Canvas for our business:
Our seeds would not be limited to traditional farmers alone. In addition to them, there is a large group of entities that could be interested in obtaining our products or acquiring part of the company’s shares in the event it goes through an IPO (more on this in the Exit Strategy section). The growing concern for a more sustainable future and the restrictions on CO2 emissions and nitrogen derivatives are driving large groups to seek greener solutions. If, in doing so, they can also save the money and time involved in using fertilizers, the possibilities increase even further. Among the potential consumers, we can find:
A SWOT analysis, is a strategic planning tool that identifies a company's internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats. This framework helps us to understand our competitive position and develop strategies to leverage strengths, address weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and mitigate threats.
PESTEL is a strategic framework used to analyze and monitor the external environment factors that might impact an organization. It stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors. This analysis helps us understand the macro-environmental influences on our business, which is crucial for strategic planning and future analysis.
One promising approach to balance the need for fertilizer and the welfare of the environment, is the development of plants that can fix atmospheric nitrogen independently. This innovation would not only reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers and manure but also help mitigate climate change and the nitrogen crisis. To this end, we first need to better study the nitroplast, how it interacts with the host organism and how it could be potentially introduced into other cells.
It has been discovered that, to ensure the endosymbiotic relationship, several proteins that are essential to UCYN-A are expressed in the host, B. bigelowii, and imported into the symbiont, similar to chloroplasts and mitochondria, though to a lesser extent [11]. Many of these proteins possess specialized localization peptides that direct their cellular function. In UCYN-A, these peptides are usually a C-terminal extension and are known as the “uTP” (UCYN-A Transit Peptide), although not yet identified [11]. Our first aim was to employ bioinformatics analyses to identify the characteristic motifs required for a protein to be imported by UCYN-A. For this, we made use of host (B. bigelowii) and nitroplast (UCYN-A) genome data as well as the proteomics data published by Coale et al.. We identified 2 putative uTP sequences with high likelihood, which we named uTP1 and uTP2.
To understand the functioning of the UCYN-A import mechanism, we attempted to identify the proteins involved in translocating host-encoded proteins into UCYN-A. First, we located genes in the host genome that are potentially involved in the translocation, based on their similarity to proteins in other import mechanisms such as from Paulinella chromatophora (UCYN-A analogue for photosynthesis). Potential chaperones analogous to heat-shock proteins were also included in the search. These chaperones are hypothesized to bind to proteins tagged by the uTP and keep them from folding, allowing translocation through the UCYN-A membrane. We then followed this by obtaining the tertiary structure of all candidate proteins using a structure prediction tool, and used docking tools to select candidate proteins likely to bind the previously identified transit motifs.
In addition to in silico experiments, we also aimed to investigate the transport mechanisms of UCYN-A in vivo. Instead of making use of plants as target organisms, we opted for using single-cell model eukaryote organisms, namely the yeast S. cerevisiae and the green alga C. reinhardtii. The initial in vivo characterization of the UCYN-A transport system involved examining the expression and localization of the UCYN-A transit peptides in these eukaryotic model organisms to test whether uTP would have any unexpected effect on cell viability and would not target any other organelle. To this end, we designed vectors, cloned them using Gibson-assembly, transformed bacteria, purified expression plasmids, and transformed those into S. cerevisiae and C. reinhardtii. We expressed uTP-tagged fluorescent proteins, together with controls targeting other organelles, and localization was assessed using fluorescence microscopy. Our preliminary results indicate that uTP did not target any other organelle and did not lead to alterations in cell morphology.
Studies have demonstrated the insertion of bacteria into cells by engineering endosymbionts in S. cerevisiae using either E. coli or S. elongatus [12]. Another study successfully inserted Azotobacter strains into C. reinhardtii [13]. Building on this research, we initially aimed to develop a reliable protocol for transplanting a nitroplast into C. reinhardtii and S. cerevisiae as a proof-of-concept for transplantation into other eukaryotes, using polyethylene glycol (PEG) fusion protocols. However, due to time limitations, we started out with the model eukaryotic bacteria, E. coli, and refined a protocol for its fusion with S. cerevisiae.
We obtained B. bigelowii as a gift from Dr. Kyoko Hagino (Kochi University, Japan) and cultured it according to the protocol. For the transplantation of the nitroplast into a different model organism, we were also required to isolate this organelle from its host. Our project also implemented the protocol for nitroplast isolation from its host, according to the protocol and suggestions provided by Dr. Tyler Coale (University of California, San Diego, USA). Isolated UCYN-A could potentially be used for PEG fusion with other eukaryotes.
Finally, we have also wondered how our project would affect society. For this, our human practices team has actively worked to understand the possible consequences of our project. Also, wider acceptance of our idea goes hand in hand with educating the general population. Last but not least, we have also assessed the potential economic benefits of our idea and the omission of fertilizer use in agriculture. For this, we made an economic analysis and business plan.
Our project lays the foundation for the transplantation of nitroplast into eukaryotic hosts. The emergence of nitrogen-fixing plants could lead to a significant drop in the demand for fertilizers, and consequently in both carbon emissions and nitrogen pollution.
Being a team from the Netherlands, we have actively followed the unfolding of the nitrogen crisis and seen the farmer's protests on the news. While nitrogen deposition is incredibly harmful to the environment, the Dutch agriculture sector is a big driving factor behind its economy, with agricultural exports being worth 124 billion euros in 2023 alone [8].
The Netherlands is also considered one of the front runners in terms of food and agriculture technology. Given the leadership of The Netherlands in this field, why not leverage synthetic biology to address the nitrogen crisis? We were inspired by previous iGEM teams such as Wageningen 2021 [9] and Stony-Brook 2023 [10] that have tackled similar challenges, alongside a recent publication in Nature in April 2024 [11].
Being a team from the Netherlands, we have actively followed the unfolding of the nitrogen crisis and seen the farmer's protests on the news. While nitrogen deposition is incredibly harmful to the environment, the Dutch agriculture sector is a big driving factor behind its economy, with agricultural exports being worth 124 billion euros in 2023 alone [8].
The Netherlands is also considered one of the front runners in terms of food and agriculture technology. Given the leadership of The Netherlands in this field, why not leverage synthetic biology to address the nitrogen crisis? We were inspired by previous iGEM teams such as Wageningen 2021 [9] and Stony-Brook 2023 [10] that have tackled similar challenges, alongside a recent publication in Nature in April 2024 [11].