Bayer: Science For A Better Life - research

Crop protection enriched by the use of natural substances

Learning from evolution

Nature for the laboratory: Dr. Robert Velten uses a chromatograph to purify insecticidal active substances. The inspiration for these substances comes from natural substances which research colleagues track down in Asia, for example (left photo).

Pests can become resistant to active substances and control strategies. This is why specialist teams at Bayer CropScience are always on the look-out for new substances and frequently find inspiration in substances which have already demonstrated their efficacy against pests in nature. The variety of nature therefore provides Bayer researchers with ideas for novel active ingredients.

Crop protection and pharmaceutical researchers working in close co-operation

If a substance has shown the desired biological effect in mass screening, it is then further analyzed using molecular modeling - a technique which can use information from the spatial structure of molecules. In the most promising cases, natural substances are then identified which can be used as lead structures for new active substances. And because one never knows whether a medicine or a pesticide might be derived from a new active substance, the specialists from Bayer CropScience and Bayer HealthCare are working in close co-operation. You can read the complete article (PDF file) here.