BOSTON, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GreenLight Biosciences (Nasdaq: GRNA), a public benefit corporation striving to deliver on the full potential of RNA to address some of the world’s toughest problems in human health and agriculture, will today outline its pipeline strategy and R&D progress for dsRNA based crop protection and plant delivery innovations focused on addressing food security with innovative and sustainable solutions during its Plant Health R&D Day being held today, March 7th, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. ET in Research Triangle, North Carolina.
“GreenLight is taking an innovative approach to advancing novel double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) solutions for numerous agricultural applications with advantages in speed of discovery/development, cost, quality and delivery. We have advanced our company’s portfolio strategy, target product profiles, and delivery capability all to meet the global challenges we face in the quest to grow food sustainably,” said Andrey Zarur, CEO of GreenLight Biosciences. “We have done this all with an eye on expanding potential addressable markets for our product portfolio and a focus on the potential benefits that our sustainable technologies could have on society.”
Sustainable innovations that address emerging resistance, food security, and agricultural impacts on biodiversity
As a leader in RNA innovation for agriculture, the Company is building on its existing rapid design, development and iteration capabilities for dsRNA by expanding product applications and delivery capabilities. The technological progress to be shared in today’s showcase enables GreenLight Biosciences to work towards unlocking access to the broader global insecticides and fungicides market worth $39B1,2, and the global herbicides market valued at $35.72B3.
“Farmers need products that appropriately solve the challenges they face in-field, all while helping to improve the overall sustainability of agriculture,” said Mark Singleton, Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of Plant Health. “GreenLight Biosciences is fully committed to delivering products that address some of the major challenges faced by farmers, such as increased pest resistance, tightening regulatory environments, and demands by consumers to reduce chemical loads in foods. We expect that our rapid dsRNA development and production capabilities, coupled with novel delivery technologies, will enable us to develop sustainable solutions across all crop inputs segments and help reduce agricultural impact on biodiversity.”
Plant Health Strategy & Portfolio Updates
Today, at GreenLight’s R&D Showcase, the Company will outline a long-term strategy to progress its Plant Health portfolio and highlight progress in its R&D pipeline that it anticipates will help farmers expand their suite of tools to preserve yield potential as threats from insects, disease, and weeds increase, including:
- Actively preparing for commercial launch prior to end of 2023 of our leading dsRNA solution, Calantha™, subject to regulatory approval
- The registration dossier for our RNA solution that targets the varroa destructor mite was submitted to the EPA in February 2023 and is now under review
- Expansion of dsRNA-based fungal, insecticide, and acaricide programs into multi-target applications
- Plant disease program data showing formulated dsRNA performance in-field providing control of grey mold and powdery mildew equivalent or better than conventional chemical standards at commercially relevant spray intervals
- Data demonstrating functional delivery of dsRNA into plants; showing decreased fusarium disease severity in lettuce seed treatment trials, and preliminary indications of herbicidal activity
“These highlights are representative of our robust dsRNA pipeline, delivery capability and our ongoing commitment to delivering on the potential of RNA to provide farmers with the tools they need to increase productivity, profitability, and sustainability in the face of climate events and increasing resistance to conventional crop protection products,” said Zarur. “We look forward to advancing these innovations to ensure that farmers have access to technology that benefits their production, and to help create healthy people and planet through RNA innovation.”
The Plant Health R&D Day is the first in a series providing comprehensive updates on GreenLight’s R&D strategy and progress. The next session will focus on the Company’s Human Health portfolio and will be hosted on Thursday, March 9th, 2023, at GreenLight Biosciences Headquarters in Lexington, MA.
A webcast of both events will be available live and can be accessed via the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.greenlightbiosciences.com. Registration is available here: https://www.greenlightbiosciences.com/rdshowcase/ and a replay of the webcasts will be available at https://investors.greenlightbio.com for approximately 30 days.
Sources: 1. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/fungicides-356.html 2. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/insecticide-market-142427569.html 3. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210916005897/en/Global-47.09-Bn-Herbicides-Market-to-2025-2030—ResearchAndMarkets.com
About GreenLight Biosciences
GreenLight Biosciences (Nasdaq: GRNA) aims to address some of the world’s biggest problems by delivering on the full potential of RNA for human health and agriculture. Our RNA platform allows us to research, design, and manufacture for human, animal, and plant health. In human health, this includes messenger RNA vaccines and therapeutics. In agriculture, this includes RNA to protect honeybees and a range of crops. The Company’s platform is protected by numerous patents. GreenLight’s human health product candidates are in the pre-clinical stage, and its product candidates for the agriculture market are in the early stages of development or regulatory review.
