It’s not every day that microbial genetics leads to a chic influencer party in Los Angeles. Yet there stood Patrick Torbey, the lone scientist in a plant-filled wine bar, addressing a roomful of stylish guests nibbling artisan crackers topped with melted Brie.
Torbey was there to introduce the first product from Neoplants, the Paris-based startup he cofounded six years ago with Lionel Mora, a former Google product marketing manager. Their debut offering, called Power Drops, promises a biological air filter—hence the appeal for wellness influencers. For the science-minded, they’re genetically modified soil bacteria that work with plants to absorb and metabolize toxic chemicals commonly found indoors.
“We’ve developed a natural air purifier,” Torbey says. “By pouring in these bacteria, you increase by about 30 times the air pollution efficiency of one plant.”
These pollutants, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pass through microscopic pores in plant leaves and exit through their roots. When Power Drops are mixed with water and added to a planter, the bacteria cling to the roots and feed on the VOCs—producing nutrients for the plant in the process. The result: a 30% reduction in airborne toxins in a 160-square-foot room.
Neoplants originally planned to launch Power Drops in January, just as wildfires engulfed parts of Los Angeles. Instead, the company postponed its event and added a new initiative, CleanAirforLA.com, offering a free month’s supply to support recovery efforts.
“We have a technology that can solve a big part of the issue that’s going to linger for a long time, which is that VOCs emitted by these fires will be absorbed by [fabrics and furniture in] every home and continuously reemitted,” Torbey says. “This is really using nature as the technology to solve that problem in a sustainable way.”
According to the World Health Organization, indoor pollution accounts for an estimated 3 million deaths annually. It can also impact focus and productivity and exacerbate respiratory issues like asthma. Torbey suggests putting the treated plants in bedrooms as a complement to HEPA filters that block particulates larger than VOCs, which are only several atoms in size. “It takes much longer, but it’s much more sustainable because there’s no electricity,” he says. “It’s always on in the background.”
Among the event’s attendees was The Good Place star Kristen Bell, who came away smitten with the company’s natural—and in her case, foolproof—approach. “I have little kids, so I’ve been very concerned with educating myself on the air quality post-fires. I thought this was a very smart way to make it easy, affordable, and sustainable for people,” she says. “I don’t have a green thumb; I have a black thumb. The plants come [in planters] with reservoirs where I don’t have to remember to water [them] more than once a month. That’s extremely helpful for someone like me.”
Genetics as a tool
Neoplants grew from Torbey’s desire to apply his genetic engineering PhD to something beyond academia, Big Pharma, or agriculture. “Everybody has this kind of negative feeling towards genetic modification,” he says. “But genetics is just a tool, and I wanted to show people how we can use this tool to have a pure, positive impact without any negative consequences.”
He met Mora through the Paris division of the global talent incubator Entrepreneur First, which introduces scientists and businesspeople. They’ve since raised $20 million from two fundraising rounds through True Ventures and Heartcore Capital and expanded to a 20-member staff.
The science, however, didn’t come easy. When boosting plants’ ability to absorb VOCs proved too complex and time-consuming, the team pivoted to microbes. Bacteria, unlike plants, can be modified and tested within a week—and they clear regulatory hurdles faster. Neoplants engineered two bacteria strains that naturally metabolize formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and xylene, turning them into sugars, amino acids, and lipids. Then, using directed evolution—exposing them to increasingly toxic environments—they bred super-efficient strains.
“It’s kind of a boot camp for bacteria,” says Torbey, crediting Mora and his Google training for the quick iteration process. “We were trying to go at the speed of software using biotechnology.”
Power Drops contain 10 billion dehydrated bacteria per packet, activated in water for monthly doses. They work best with leafy, soil-based indoor plants—not succulents, hydroponics, or sandy soil. While they’re not for edible greens, they’re nontoxic to humans and pets. And although the bacteria improve soil quality, the effect on plant growth is minimal—for now. Boosting growth is the next focus for Neoplants.
From the ground to space
Meanwhile, as its bacterial research raced ahead, Neoplants continued modifying plants to metabolize VOCs without the need for bacteria by isolating the microbial genes responsible and inserting them into plant genomes. Having finally achieved that, the company is now awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a process not yet impacted by recent federal layoffs. The company will also avoid import tariffs by keeping its R&D operations in Paris and product production in the U.S.
Down the road, Torbey hopes to apply Neoplants research to other environmental issues—here on Earth and even for future space habitats. One goal is modifying plants to absorb nitrogen from the air instead of using nitrogen fertilizers, which exacerbate the rise in nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. He’s also spoken to the European Space Agency about how his research might assist its MELiSSA life support project.
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