When Elanco cut the ribbon on its newly built global headquarters in downtown Indianapolis this fall, it added more than a building to the city’s skyline. The animal health company’s homecoming signaled a new commitment to innovation and an era of collaboration in a space emerging with opportunity: One Health (the intersection of animal, plant, human and environmental health).
In partnership with Purdue University and the State of Indiana, Elanco’s campus includes the OneHealth Innovation District, a community-centered research hub designed to unite corporate innovators, academic researchers, students, investors and government leaders to advance science and inspire innovation. Indiana’s $72.4 billion agbioscience economy, coupled with its leading life sciences sector, positions the state to lead in the exploration, development and growth of this new economy and its impact on the planet.
AgriNovus CEO, Christy Wright, remarks that this concept holds tremendous opportunity across the value chain. “The One Health discussion generates new ideas simply by understanding what problems can be solved through cross-sectional collaboration. It also brings to surface new perspectives on how innovation in food and nutrition fit into the larger discussion of the One Health portfolio.”
Elanco’s OneHealth Innovation District bolsters this concept significantly, and the success stories are already rolling in Indiana. Let’s examine a few.
BiomEdit exploring the untapped potential of the microbiome
Elanco announced in 2021 the intention to carve out its microbiome platform and pipeline. About six months later, BiomEdit was launched in Indiana to explore the ways that the health of animals, humans and the environment are influenced by the populations of bacterial species they host. They leverage the animal’s own microbial ecosystem to innovate solutions where none exist – preventing disease and focusing on critical issues like food security and methane emission reduction.
BiomEdit has a long-term strategic research and commercial partnership with Nutreco, to bring livestock and aquaculture producers feed additives developed through microbiome technology. They have also received a $4.5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate research and development of novel microbiome-based solutions to reduce methane emissions that also enhance feed efficiency for beef and dairy cattle.
Their technology, BE-101 has entered the final phase of the USDA conditional licensure process and is advancing toward commercialization, expected in 2026. Assuming the name “Optavant,” it is the first-of-its-kind probiotic vectored antibody designed to prevent mortality associated with necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. The disease causes an estimated $6 billion in annual losses worldwide.
Corteva Agriscience accelerating disruptive innovation through Corteva Catalyst
Corteva Catalyst, the company’s investment and partnership platform, was launched in 2024 focused on accessing and bringing to market innovation that accelerates the development of early-stage, disruptive technologies that enable farmers to sustainably produce more food and feed. Six months later they announced an equity stake and strategic collaboration in Pairwise, a technology company accelerating the delivery of advanced gene editing solutions to farmers, ultimately benefiting the environment and consumers.
A five-year joint venture, Pairwise and Corteva are leveraging both companies’ advanced gene editing capabilities to generate and evaluate unique gene edits across multiple traits in a range of crops to develop and deploy new products that are more resilient to extreme weather events and climate change.
Also enabled through Corteva Catalyst in 2025 was the strategic collaboration with Profluent Bio, a pioneer in generative AI for protein design, to deliver a new generation of more sustainable, resilient crops. This partnership integrates with Corteva’s Genlytix ecosystem, a set of industry-leading capabilities that enable gene editing and its future role in plant breeding, including precision to improve yield, pest resistance, tolerance to drought and heat, and quality – creating dependable solutions for growers around the world.
Startup landscape emerging across One Health, food is health
AgriNovus identified Food is Health as a priority for Indiana’s innovation future in its Accelerate 2050 strategy and there is early-stage innovation quickly emerging and contributing to the overall One Health picture.
True Essence Foods is a technology company focused on licensing flavor balancing and symmetry solutions for the food and beverage industry.
FloVision Solutions leverages automated data collection and actionable insights to optimize protein quality, processes and yield.
NutriPop is a healthy super food snack made from popped water lily seeds that is 130 calories and 3 grams of protein per serving.
Earth Life Foods is a plant-based food manufacturing company that offers their own branded products, bulk packaging, private labeling and non-GMO, vegan and non-vegan options.
As the focus of One Health continues to crystalize and collaborations evolve, Wright encourages leaders to consider new conversations that feel unconventional. “Across Indiana’s leading R1 academic institutions, agbioscience and life sciences ecosystems, there is a massive opportunity to identify, ideate and solve some of the biggest challenges facing One Health. The conversations need to start in rooms with new faces where we learn new things, and that’s an exciting endeavor.”
AgriNovus, alongside Elanco and BioCrossroads, will host a Life Sciences Summit on November 13, 2025 focused on the discussion of One Health in Indianapolis. You can get more information and tickets to the event here. Subscribe to the Agbioscience podcast to join weekly discussion on the intersection of food, animal health, plant science, agtech and agriculture.
