A new RTP-Based agricultural consultancy and CRO is partnering with an established Durham lab to offer agricultural product-specific evaluations and complete analytical chemistry packages. Quant-Agro, LLC, founded in late 2023 by Michael David, has established a residency in the Ellis road location of Avazyme. Avazyme has offered method development and quantitative chemical and biochemical analysis (GLP and non-GLP) since its founding in 2014. Quant-Agro can now offer clients in the ag-tech space consultation and study design for pre-field and greenhouse evaluations of new products and formulations, supported by Avazyme’s analytical chemistry expertise.
Michael David Ph.D. founded Quant-Agro in late 2023 after 24 years in large agricultural chemical organizations, including most recently BASF. His expertise was developed from roles including directing GLP regulatory studies, developing assays for new compound discovery, and leading teams in metabolism and insecticide screening labs. He is also an experienced project manager, directing phase 1 discovery projects for more than 10 years. His new company aims to accelerate discovery through targeted studies for those organizations developing new agricultural products, including chemical and biological pest control agents, biostimulants, plant health, and nutrient use efficiency products. Agricultural specific capabilities of Quant-Agro include formulation stability assessments and evaluation of UV stability and metabolism of new agricultural products. Studies including greenhouse and small field evaluation of product efficacy can also be managed through Quant-Agro.
Avazyme was founded in the Research Triangle in 2014 and has worked with local, national, and international clients in private and public sectors developing innovative analytical method development and GLP study design and reporting. Avazyme has supported the agrochemical, biological, pharmaceutical, environmental, and food and nutrition industries. Avazyme’s interdisciplinary approach to regulatory science is particularly powerful for biological pesticides and pharmaceuticals, combining the expertise in analytical chemistry with microbiology, molecular biology, and fermentation science. We are a leading provider of guideline studies for Product Chemistry and Product Properties (e.g., for chemical, microbial, and biochemical products) and a wide range of contaminant testing, including PFAS. Avazyme is one of the first laboratories in North Carolina that obtained ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation for EPA Method 1633 (v.4) for PFAS analysis.
More information on both companies can be found at www.quant-agro.com and www.avazyme.com, respectively.