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Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology

Member Symposium

New Information on RNAi Mechanisms and Technological Advances toward Practical Applications

Low-cost dsRNA manufacturing by microbial fermentation: The key to accelerating and broadening RNAi-based biopesticide development and deployment

Sunday, November 13, 2022

10:05 AM – 10:20 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 116/117

Presenting Author(s)

Candace Seeve

Director, Laboratory Operation
TechAccel, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri

Co-author(s)

AK

Anil Kumar

Biomanufacturing Lead
RNAissance Ag, LCC
St. Louis, Missouri
CO

Camila Oliveira-Hofman

Senior Research Entomologist
RNAissance Ag, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri
Mosharrof Mondal

Senior RNAi Biologist
RNAissance Ag, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri
FM

Fred Moshir

Senior Strain Development Scientist
RNAissance Ag, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri
JS

Jacob Shoemake

Laboratory Manager
RNAissance Ag, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri
TZ

Tammy Zanker

Senior Strain Development Scientist
RNAissance Ag, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri
DG

Dylan A. Gladson

Senior Strain Development Scientist
RNAissance Ag, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri
BV

Bala P. Venkata

Senior Research Scientist & Principal Investigator
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
St. Louis, Missouri
BF

Brad Fabbri

Chief Science Advisor
TechAccel, LLC
St. Louis, Missouri

RNA interference (RNAi)-based biopesticides are a promising new approach for controlling arthropod pests. RNAi offers a new mode of action to complement existing integrated pest management programs that is highly selective and presents few risks to non-target organisms and the environment. A major challenge to the commercial development and broad implementation of sprayable RNAi biopesticides has been the extremely high cost of the dsRNA active ingredients. RNAissance Ag, LLC (St. Louis, MO) has developed a proprietary bacterial fermentation-based manufacturing technology for high-volume, low-cost dsRNA production. Using this platform, dsRNA yields of up to 11 grams (gm) per liter fermentate have been achieved, a massive improvement over other fermentation technologies that have reported yields in the range of 300 mg to 1 gm of dsRNA per liter fermentate. Our technology should be easily implementable at any large-scale bacterial fermentation location. In this presentation, we describe RNAissance Ag’s dsRNA manufacturing technology and present laboratory assay results showing that dsRNAs manufactured and delivered as cell-encapsulated dsRNAs inside killed production microorganisms generate significant insect mortality.