Sadia Ullah and Lisa Kappel on Reducing Pathogen Control Challenges in Industrial Agriculture
On December 10th, KTH FOOD hosted the final Faculty lunch seminar of the year, featuring postdoctoral researchers Lisa Kappel and Sadia Ullah. The seminar centered on reducing the pathogen burden using new control strategies in industrial agriculture and insights from the recently concluded EU-funded NoPest project.
Innovative Strategies to Combat Pathogens
Ullah emphasized the critical need for new strategies in pathogen control to address industrial agricultural challenges. She discussed the overuse of fungicides and historical crises like the Irish famine to highlight the importance of sustainability. The aim of the NoPest project was to seek innovative solutions to combat oomycete infections, which pose significant threats to global food security. Currently, these crop pathogens are managed using copper-based compounds, leading to pollution, toxicity, and health risks. Developing eco-friendly alternatives to conventional pesticides offers a sustainable and targeted strategy to protect commercial crops while minimizing environmental and health impacts.
Ullah’s research in this project focused on utilizing the cell walls of plant pathogens, specifically oomycetes, as targets for innovative pesticides.
Lisa Kappel presented their research on the complex metabolism of oomycete cell walls and their infection strategies. She shared advancements in antimicrobial peptide aptamers—low-toxicity compounds less prone to bacterial resistance that specifically target cell wall proteins of oomycetes.
Cutting-Edge Outcomes from the NoPest Project
The EU project NoPest consists of a consortium, of four European and one Israeli university and the company Sipcam Oxon. Through the collaborative work, the team identified key weaknesses and strengths of pathogens, using this knowledge to pioneer more sustainable methods for pathogen control. They have developed a novel approach that integrates AI-assisted disease detection with the precise application of a new type of environmentally safe fungicide: peptide aptamers. This new generation of fungicides is specially designed to target the pathogen’s cell wall—the first line of defence—ensuring an effective and responsible solution for disease management in agriculture.
Both speakers further underscored the importance of interdisciplinary research in securing global food systems. Ullah's work on valorizing plants and algal biomass aligns with the growing need for sustainable food system which offers faster and more sustainable solutions to functionalize carbohydrate materials.
Kappel’s expertise in microbial and biological pesticides highlights the potential of biocontrol in mitigating the impacts of industrial agriculture. Furthermore, Kappel’s collaborations with artists bridges science, art and design, raising public awareness about the role of microorganisms in our daily lives.
This seminar marked a fitting end to the year for KTH FOOD, showcasing innovative pathways to tackle one of the 21st century’s most pressing challenges: sustainable agriculture.
To learn mor about the NoPest project, watch a 5-minute overview here .