TechAccel, AgroSpheres enter research collaboration

TechAccel LLC and AgroSpheres Inc. recently announced they have entered a research collaboration to study the delivery of certain RNA materials as biopesticides using AgroSpheres’ proprietary bioparticle encapsulation technology.

AgroSpheres has developed a platform technology for encapsulation of biomolecules and synthetic chemicals. The company focuses its technology on innovations in agriculture and industrial enzymes.

TechAccel is a technology and venture development company in agriculture and animal health. TechAccel invests in innovative technology and undertakes R&D to advance those innovations toward market.

“We will examine AgroSpheres’ nanotechnology as a delivery mechanism for our proprietary materials for control of insects in the Lepidoptera order,” said TechAccel’s Chief Science Officer Brad Fabbri, Ph.D. TechAccel did not disclose the specific biomaterials that will be the subject of the research or other terms of the collaboration.

“This collaboration with TechAccel gives AgroSpheres a great opportunity to demonstrate the ability of our bioparticle platform to produce dsRNA molecules during fermentation and then deliver those encapsulated dsRNA molecules to target crops,” said Doug Eisner, CEO of AgroSpheres. “We’re looking forward to working with TechAccel to develop this innovative, sustainable approach to protect crops from Lepidopteran insects.”

Lepidoptera are an order of insects that includes many species whose larvae are major pests that affect nearly all cultivated crops worldwide and produce wide-ranging losses in the billions of dollars annually.

About AgroSpheres

AgroSpheres Inc. is a Charlottesville, VA-based agricultural biotechnology company. AgroSpheres’ mission is to create products to enhance the delivery of crop protection products, making them safer and more environmentally friendly while also enhancing their efficacy. Co-founders, COO Payam Pourtaheri and CTO Ameer Shakeel developed AgroSpheres’ core technology while students at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and formed AgroSpheres to commercialize their technology.