Quercus Biosolutions, a pioneering biotechnology company focused on tackling the most pressing challenges in crop protection, today announced its official launch from stealth mode. The company is leveraging cutting-edge generative AI for protein design to develop novel solutions that address the critical needs of modern agriculture. To advance its mission, Quercus has secured a pre-seed investment round from undisclosed investors.

As part of its launch, Quercus has established a strategic partnership with Ordaos Bio to apply Ordaos' validated generative AI platform – originally designed for human medicine – to crop agriculture applications. Ordaos' technology has been extensively developed and validated across multiple biopharma use cases, making it a robust foundation for accelerating innovation in agricultural biotechnology.

"Our vision at Quercus is to leverage genAI to rethink the development of crop protection solutions," said Dr. Jon Lightner, CEO and co-founder of Quercus Biosolutions. "The Ordaos biodesign engine and enabling lab-in-the-loop platform provides us with an unprecedented ability to rapidly design and optimize bespoke mini-proteins for agricultural applications, setting the stage for transformative impact in agriculture and adjacent bio-based industries."

"We have spent years refining our AI-driven mini-protein design platform to deliver precision-engineered solutions in biopharma, and its application to agriculture represents a powerful new frontier," said Dave Longo, CEO of Ordaos Bio. "By integrating genAI, multitask meta-learning, and reinforcement learning with Quercus' rapid-feedback approach, we are confident in the ability to generate highly optimized and commercially important product solutions."

Founded in 2024, Quercus Biosolutions has made remarkable progress in just under a year. The company has generated proof-of-concept data validating in planta that designed mini-proteins can act when applied to intact plants, accessing key cellular compartments and targets. This rapid progress has been further accelerated by its unique partnership with Solis Agrosciences, enabling a seamless and highly efficient pipeline for testing, data generation, optimization, and validation of novel, product-development-ready solutions.

"Quercus converges a powerful genAI platform, rapid empirical testing in biologically relevant systems, and seasoned industry scientists who possess a deep practical understanding of what does and doesn't work," said Charlie Bolton, CEO of Solis Agrosciences. "It's been exciting to see rapid iteration drive compelling biological activity, and Solis is thrilled to partner with this innovative new company."

The Quercus team is led by world-class industry veterans, including co-founders Dr. Jon Lightner (CEO) and Matt Crisp (Executive Chairman), alongside a deep bench of collaborators and advisors, including Jim Borel, Anna Rath, Dr. Steve Gutteridge, and Dr. Frank Dayan. Together, the Quercus leadership team brings decades of experience in agricultural biotechnology, having developed and commercialized market-leading solutions from both startups and multinational enterprises.

"Quercus is at the forefront of the next wave of innovation in crop agriculture," said Matt Crisp, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Quercus. "We have formed key strategic partnerships and enlisted seasoned leaders who understand the synergies that are created at the convergence of cutting-edge technologies already accelerating solutions in human medicine. Our rapid progress underscores the disruptive potential of our platform and ability to drive innovation in ways that this market category has never experienced."

About Quercus Biosolutions

Quercus Biosolutions is an agricultural biotechnology company pioneering the use of generative AI and other enabling technologies to create a new generation of crop protection solutions. Quercus aims to deliver sustainable, effective, and commercially important innovations for the future of agriculture. For more information, visit https://www.quercusbio.com.

About Ordaos Bio

Ordaōs is a human-enabled, machine-driven drug design company that de novo designs next-generation mini-protein and single domain antibody therapies with our lab-in-the-loop generative AI Ordaos Design Engine. Our flagship solution, miniPRO™ mini-proteins, enable novel solutions to society's greatest needs from disease to food safety. For more information, visit https://www.ordaos.bio.

About Solis Agrosciences

Solis Agrosciences is the trusted partner for high-quality AgTech research services. We generate gene-edited and transgenic crops, plant phenotype and efficacy data, and individually tailored research solutions for our startup and corporate customers. Solis' highly trained and industry-experienced scientists operate in state-of-the-art facilities in the 39 North Ag Biotech district of St. Louis, Missouri. To partner with Solis, visit https://solisagrosciences.com/.