Methane Venture Receives $13.5M Boost

The two key players working to provide Kiwi farmers with tools to reduce emissions are stepping up their support of a methane vaccine with multimillion-dollar funding for new company, Lucidome Bio. AgriZero^NZ and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) are providing $13.5 million ($8.5M and $5M respectively) to Lucidome Bio, which is spearheading the next phase in the country’s pioneering methane vaccine research.

Wayne McNee, AgriZero^NZ

AgriZero^NZ chief executive Wayne McNee says it is pleased to boost its support for the research, following prior funding to set up the entity to attract international investors and accelerate development. "A vaccine that reduces methane from ruminant animals would be a transformational tool for New Zealand’s agricultural sector and for farmers worldwide.

“It’s widely recognised as the holy grail to reduce emissions, as it’s a low cost, high-impact solution which has the potential to be adopted into all farming systems.“We’re really pleased to be backing Lucidome Bio, alongside the NZAGRC, in a shared effort to get a vaccine to farmers sooner,” says McNee.

A successful vaccine would trigger an animal's immune system to generate antibodies in saliva that suppress the growth and function of methane-producing microbes (methanogens) in the rumen, significantly reducing the quantity of the potent greenhouse gas it burps out.

Naomi Parker, NZAGRC

NZAGRC executive director Naomi Parker says the reliance on antibody production in saliva and the complex nature of the rumen makes this work incredibly challenging, however the progress to date gives confidence it can achieve success.

“We’re proud to be long-standing supporters of this work and help Lucidome Bio achieve a world-first by turning the vaccine’s research legacy into a safe and effective tool for farmers.

“This is no easy task, but the research team has made significant progress over the years and achieved many groundbreaking advancements which provide critical foundations to support future success.”

David Aitken, Lucidome Bio

Lucidome Bio interim chief executive David Aitken welcomed the funding and emphasised the new venture’s commitment to technological innovation in tackling this global opportunity.
“We know farmers are looking for effective and affordable ways to reduce methane. Our vision is to help farmers feed the world while protecting our planet. We’re focused on making the technology breakthroughs needed to commercialise a safe, effective vaccine that reduces methane emissions at scale and addresses one of the world’s biggest climate change challenges.

“This funding will allow us to build the team, carry out field trials in animals and progress development of the vaccine for farmers,” says Aitken.

The name Lucidome – which refers to its work to shine a light on innovations for the ruminant microbiome - builds on pioneering research led by AgResearch’s team of globally renowned immunologists and microbiologists.

It was established by AgriZero^NZ to bring together New Zealand’s vaccine technology, intellectual property, team and funding into a compelling investible entity and help deliver a world-first solution to market.

Prior to this, the research had received support and funding from multiple organisations including the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium and the New Zealand government (Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment; Ministry for Primary Industries) through the NZAGRC.

AgResearch will continue to be a critical partner, providing expertise with scientists being seconded to Lucidome Bio as well as access to research facilities. The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium also remains a shareholder alongside AgriZero^NZ.
The funding follows the announcement in August from the Bezos Earth Fund to provide USD $9.4million for an international consortium to build scientific evidence for a methane vaccine. Led by researchers at the Pirbright Institute and the Royal Veterinary College, the AgResearch scientists (now seconded to Lucidome Bio) will provide expertise in rumen microbiology and immunology.

ENDS

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About AgriZero^NZ
AgriZero^NZ is a public-private joint venture (JV) focused on helping farmers cut emissions to maintain their competitive edge. The JV is half owned by the New Zealand government through the Ministry for Primary Industries and the other half owned by The a2 Milk Company, ANZ Bank New Zealand, ANZCO Foods, ASB Bank, BNZ, Fonterra, Rabobank, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms and Synlait.
Through targeted investment and actions, AgriZero^NZ is accelerating the development of emissions reduction tools for Kiwi farmers. Private sector funding is matched by government, dollar-for-dollar, to provide $191 million over AgriZero^NZ’s first four years.
Since being established on 1 February 2023 the JV has committed more than $34 million across 10 high impact opportunities to bring emissions reduction tools to the market. This includes funding to support a methane inhibiting bolus, novel probiotics, low emissions pasture, a methane-reducing daffodil extract and another vaccine development company in Boston. AgriZero^NZ has now invested $11 million in the New Zealand vaccine research, following initial funding of $2.5 million last year to support continuation of the work and a further $1 million to set up Lucidome Bio.

About the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC)

The NZAGRC is funded by the Government to invest in and coordinate research aimed at helping reduce New Zealand’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. This work is undertaken collaboratively by research providers and targets cost-effective practices and technologies for reducing emissions in New Zealand’s unique farm systems and environments. Based in Palmerston North, the Centre was established in 2010 and is hosted by AgResearch.
In June 2024, the coalition Government, through the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), announced it would invest an additional $50.5 million in the NZAGRC as part of a $400 million package over the next four years to further support farmers and growers to reduce emissions by accelerating the availability of tools and technology. The scaled-up funding will see the NZAGRC invest around $150 million in emissions reduction research over the next five years.

About Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium
The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRC) is a partnership investor between the New Zealand livestock sector and government and has been in place since 2002. The active partners in the venture are Fonterra, Beef +Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, AgResearch, Deer Industry NZ, PGG-Wrightson-Seeds, Fertiliser Association, and Pamu Landcorp farming. Since its inception, the consortium has invested $90m NZD into research programmes and advanced methane mitigation solutions through animal genetics, low GHG feeds, livestock vaccination and methane inhibitory compounds.

About Lucidome Bio
Lucidome Bio is an ag-biotech venture with a vision to help farmers feed the world while protecting the planet. Our focus is developing a vaccine for reducing methane emissions from ruminant livestock which is effective, affordable, and safe.
Top scientists in New Zealand based at AgResearch have pioneered methane vaccine research for more than 15 years, making the breakthroughs needed to show it is possible. Lucidome Bio was established in June 2024 to accelerate the development of a methane vaccine with the support of partners in New Zealand and internationally to commercialise a vaccine and deploy it at scale globally.
The name Lucidome is derived from the words “Lucido” meaning light, bright, brilliant, which is core to the company’s mission around innovation and discovery, and “biome” due to the focus on providing solutions for the ruminant microbiome at a global scale.

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