SBIR Phase I: Identification of Nematicidal Peptides by Phage Display

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop transgenic plants that are resistant to plant-parasitic nematode infection and damage. The approach is to use phage display technology to identify small peptides that bind to and interfere with the function of important intestinal proteins. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of nematode control of plants. With the phasing out of methyl bromide, which has caused environmentally negative impacts, the agricultural community faces a major loss of a product that protected plants against soil-borne pathogens including nematodes. The development of transgenic plants that target plant-parasitic nematodes will alleviate one of the major problems of growing crops. Furthermore, the transgenic plants will reduce the amount of chemical nematicides that are being used for plant-parasitic nematode control.