The patented process uses a naturally occurring BmJ bacterium to activate the natural immune defenses of plants against bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases. The BmJ bacterium was originally isolated from the healthy leaves of beet plants in an otherwise disease-ridden sugar beet field. Dr. Barry Jacobsen, a professor of plant sciences and plant pathology, discovered BmJ's role in natural plant resistance, and played a key role in developing the bacterium into a commercial product.
This novel treatment is expected to provide farmers with an effective and natural alternative to traditional chemical crop treatments. The patented BmJ spray was recently approved by the EPA for use in the United States, and is expected to become available soon to farmers all over the world through MSU's partnership with Certis USA.
Cooley attorneys were instrumental in counseling MSU throughout the patent procurement and licensing phases of BmJ's development. Cooley is now home to the largest life sciences patent practice in the US, and is a leader in working with universities, as well as startup and established companies in developing next-generation Ag-Biotech solutions
