Agragene Licenses Pairwise’s Fulcrum® Platform to Support Cleaner Pest Control
Agreement marks the first application of Fulcrum® technology in insects, supporting proactive & effective pest control
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ST. LOUIS, Mo. and DURHAM, N.C., July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pairwise, a global innovator in agriculture, today announced a licensing agreement with Agragene, a sustainable agricultural technology company developing biological crop pest protection, granting access to Pairwise’s Fulcrum® CRISPR platform.
Agragene will integrate Fulcrum® tools into the development of its Precision-Guided Sterile Insect Technology (pgSIT), which produces sterile male insects for proactive control of pest populations, increasing yields for growers. Agragene’s first product (KNOCKOUT™ SWD) targets spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an invasive fly responsible for more than $1 billion annually in losses to U.S. and Canadian berry, cherry, and other soft fruit crops. Because the technology is highly species-specific, it suppresses only the target pest, leaving crops, beneficial insects such as bees and ladybugs, and the surrounding environment unaffected.
“Growers are running out of options as pests develop resistance to conventional insecticides, and they are looking for tools that are safe, targeted, and sustainable,” said Bryan Witherbee, President and CEO of Agragene. “Our mission is to deliver cleaner pest control that supports healthier crops and a healthier planet. Access to Fulcrum® strengthens the editing technology behind our pgSIT platform and helps us move faster from field trials towards practical tools growers can use.”
“Pairwise works across all of agriculture, which means partnering with people closest to the problems,” said Dr. Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise. “Agragene is the first to apply Fulcrum® in insect systems, and it’s exactly the kind of creative use we hoped good tools would find.”
The Pairwise Fulcrum® platform includes proprietary CRISPR editing tools, enzymes, and trait libraries that enable precise genetic changes. Pairwise developed and proved the platform in its own breeding programs and makes it available to partners and licensees worldwide for research and commercial purposes.
About Agragene
Agragene is a sustainable agricultural technology company based in St. Louis, Missouri, developing biological crop pest protection products. Using Precision-Guided Sterile Insect Technology (pgSIT), a CRISPR-based platform, Agragene provides sterile male insects to reduce and control pest populations while reducing reliance on traditional insecticides. Founded in 2017, the company is pursuing commercial product launch in the U.S. and a licensing strategy worldwide. For more information, visit www.agragene.com.
About Pairwise
Pairwise is agriculture’s gene editing powerhouse, building a healthier world through partnership and plant innovation. Co-founded by early pioneers of CRISPR, Pairwise’s Fulcrum® Platform accelerates the development of climate-resilient, nutritious, and sustainable crops. As a trusted partner to global industry leaders and nonprofit institutions, Pairwise helps breeders move faster while transforming food and agriculture for farmers, consumers, and the planet. Founded in 2017 and based in Durham, NC, Pairwise is committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.
Communications Pairwise communications@pairwise.com
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