Chemistry and biology connected: the development of Inscalis

Abstract Inscalis® is the newest pioneer solution from BASF SE for the control of key insect pests. The development of Inscalis was a joint effort by the Kitasato Institute, Meiji Seika Pharma, and BASF. It started with the discovery of the natural product Pyripyropene A that was synthetically modified to yield afidopyropen. The novel chemical class, pyropenes, offers an alternative mode of action and provides an essential tool to farmers for use in resistance and integrated pest management programs. The success story, starting from the natural fermentation product, Pyripyropene A, to the development of the active ingredient, afidopyropen, will be described.