EPA greenlights groundbreaking biopesticide

The EPA greenlit a BIO member’s groundbreaking biopesticide that targets a “super pest”—without harming the honeybees. Plus, we look at how Genentech’s MS clinical trial brings lessons on MS and clinical trial diversity. (538 words, 2 minutes, 41 seconds)

EPA approves biopesticide that targets ‘super pest’ without harming other bugs

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered a novel biopesticide—developed by BIO member GreenLight Biosciences—that uses gene editing to target the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) without harming honeybees or other insects.

“Super pest”: The CPB attacks potatoes, eggplant, and tomatoes in many parts of the United States and elsewhere, causing $500 million in annual crop loss globally. The “super pest” has rapidly evolved to develop resistance to insecticides.

Super solution: Ledprona uses a double-stranded RNA molecule to achieve RNA interference (RNAi)—a natural mechanism enabling plants and animals to defend themselves against disease through genetic alteration. Ledprona’s RNAi mechanism silences a gene in the CPB that produces a protein essential for the beetle’s survival.

A green light for GreenLight: Ledprona, the active ingredient in GreenLight Biosciences’ Calantha, received a three-year EPA registration. It’s one of the first insecticides using RNAi and the world’s first such biopesticide approved for commercial spraying.

Why it matters: The EPA employed extensive testing and worked with international experts to investigate RNAi technology and ensure ledprona is safe for humans and the environment. GreenLight’s tests find it does not harm honeybees, butterflies, other insects, or mammals—even at 100 times the recommended dosage.

What’s next: GreenLight aims to make Calantha with ledprona commercially available before the next growing season.

How one clinical trial offers lessons in MS and diversity

Genentech recently tested a multiple sclerosis (MS) drug in Black and Hispanic populations, who face disproportionate risk, breaking new ground in both the fight against MS and clinical trial diversity, Bio.News reports.

The disease and the drug: MS attacks nerve cells and the myelin sheath covering nerve fibers. Genentech’s FDA-approved monoclonal antibody, Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), selectively targets CD20-positive B cells, thought to contribute to MS.

A disproportionate impact: Black and Hispanic people comprise about 20% of the MS patient population and have a higher risk of severe disease and disability, “but they have historically been underdiagnosed, undertreated, and underrepresented in clinical trials,” David E. Jones, a leader in neuroimmunology at BIO-member Genentech, tells Bio.News.

A discovery: In the first-ever clinical trial designed to understand MS’s behavior and biomarkers in Black and Hispanic patients, approximately half the participants achieved “no evidence of disease activity” at week 48, while 94% experienced no relapses.

Collaborating with MS patients and advocacy groups, Genentech addressed clinical trial barriers for Black and Hispanic communities by selecting appropriate study sites (as far as Kenya), broadening eligibility, translating materials, and supporting participants with travel, expenses, and childcare.

Why it matters: The results will “potentially improve outcomes for people with MS in these underserved communities,” increase understanding of MS biology, “biomarkers and how MS behaves in this population,” says Jones. Genentech will also incorporate diversity lessons learned into other clinical trials.

Read more on Bio.News.

More Health News:

USA Today/Delaware Online: Delaware sits at the center of life science leadership. We should capitalize on that more
“We are incredibly fortunate to sit in an epicenter of the life sciences at a time when advances are accelerating through the application of new technologies like machine learning and AI, transforming human health and our economy in the process,” writes Michael Fleming, President of the Delaware BioScience Association.

President Biden’s Wednesday: No major events are scheduled. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Congress remains in recess until next week.