PROTaX · Designing a Novel Protein Inspired Therapeutic Against Xylella

This project aims to develop an innovative protein therapy to combat Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), a plant pathogen causing significant economic losses in high-value crops such as olive, grapevine, almond, and blueberries.Xf has particularly impacted agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin, with the widespread decline of ancient olive groves in southern Italy serving as a prominent example. Current management strategies are ineffective, underscoring the need for novel disease control solutions - an issue central to the MultiX grant on Xf virulence and plant immunity.Our key inventive step is based on the hypothesis that the phytomicrobiome of a non-host plant contains factors that inhibit Xf. Through experiments and proteomics, we have identified a protein that demonstrates inhibitory activity against Xf. This protein shows significant promise and, with further refinement and optimization, could be developed into an effective therapy.Building on this discovery, PROTaX will design an effective therapeutic and demonstrated its potential to manage Xf infections. Furthermore, we will have gained a deeper understanding of market interests.