Revolutionizing Crop Protection Chemistries with Tom Meade of Enko Chem - Ep 139

Join industry leaders at The Chemical Summit on September 29-30, 2026 in Houston, Texas.  Visit thechemicalsummit.comIn collaboration with industry giants and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Enko Chem is revolutionizing the agricultural industry by accelerating the development of safer and more effective herbicides, disease protection, insect control, and yield enhancement solutions. Tom Meade, Chief Science Officer at Enko Chem joins host Victoria Meyer on The Chemical Show to share insights on their target-based discovery platform, the importance of data in their research, and the challenges and advantages of integrating DNA and chemistry.Killer Quote: "In order to revolutionize crop protection chemistries, we need to embrace the power of data, technology, and collaboration. By combining these elements, we can accelerate the development of safe and effective solutions that address the challenges facing our agriculture industry." - Tom MeadeJoin us to learn more about the following this week:Chemistry's key role in global agricultural industry, food security, and crop protectionTarget based discovery in agricultural , leveraging techniques built in pharmaUtilizing data and AI in the agricultural industry The role of regulators including EPA and USDA in AgChemPrioritizing safety in agricultural innovationIn this episode, Victoria and Tom delve into Enko's mission to shorten the development timeline for crop protection chemistries while exploring the challenges and advantages of their target-based discovery platform, which aims to identify specific targets for herbicides and pesticides. Tom also shares the importance of data in Enko's research and development process, as well as their use of automated systems and machine learning models. This episode is sponsored by Clariant. Are you grappling with the lightning pace of regulatory and compliance changes in the printing inks industry? Do you want to know more about PFAS, supply chain transparency and extended producer responsibility? Check out Episode 137 of The Chemical Show to learn about PTFE-free solutions with Clariant and NAPIM. ***Don’t miss an episode: Subscribe to The Chemical Show on your favorite podcast player. ***Like what you hear? Leave a rating and review.***Want more insights? Sign up for our email list at www.thechemicalshow.com. Wondering how we produce our podcast?Transistor.fm is our podcast publisher of choice. Try it for free here: https://transistor.fm/?via=victoriaWe use CastMagic.io to create ShowNotes, Newsletters, Social Media posts and more. Check it out here: https://get.castmagic.io/ean5etivmzi1We use Descript to edit and transcribe each podcast episode. Follow this link to learn more: https://www.descript.com/?lmref=DdZ2MA