Project Grant 2046602

This three-year, $714,447 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) will fund the development of RNA interference (RNAi)-based sprayable formulations and baits for insect pest management. The grantee, Kansas State University, will work to overcome major challenges to widespread application of small interfering RNA (siRNA) for insect pest control by...

The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a $494,581 Project Grant under the Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research program to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. The three-year award beginning September 1, 2022 will support research investigating the environmental persistence and target specificity of minicells-encapsulated RNAi biofungicides. The Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research program aims to generate information assisting...

This $315,000 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Activities (IA) program supports research at Auburn University on the use of branched amphiphilic peptide capsules (BAPCs) for delivering double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) as a targeted biopesticide. The goal is to explore how variations in the size, charge, and composition of these BAPC nanomaterials can optimize the effectiveness, stability, and environmental safety of dsRNA-based pesticides. The project...

Silvec Biologics Inc. received a $650,000 Project Grant award from the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.212 - Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program) to develop RNA interference (RNAi) technologies for controlling fungal diseases in agricultural crops. The company is leveraging its proprietary internally-delivered virus-like RNA (iRNA) vector system to generate small interfering RNAs...

Nanosur LLC, a minority-owned biotechnology company, received a $649,999 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program to develop RNA interference (RNAi)-based insecticides for controlling invasive insect pests in agriculture and forests. The grant, awarded on September 1, 2023, supports Nanosur's work to create selective,...

Silvec Biologics Inc. was awarded a $174,964 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop a proprietary process to control fungi using RNA interference. The SBIR program aims to support scientific innovation to build a strong national economy. Under the award, Silvec will pursue four key objectives through January 2023. The company will identify small interfering RNAs compatible with...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant award, under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), will provide $620,599 to the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (Tees) to investigate the behavior of cyclodextrin-based nanopesticides in agricultural settings. The research will use experimental and computational approaches to examine how these nano-based pesticides aggregate, transport, and adsorb to materials like silica and cellulose. The goal is to generate fundamental...

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) provides $274,999 to Robigo, Inc. for research under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084). The award will support development of a microbial biopesticide platform to precisely target and eliminate crop pathogens without harming beneficial microbes, pollinators, or humans. Leveraging synthetic biology, CRISPR, and data science, the company aims to engineer improvements increasing efficacy and viability...

This federal Project Grant award from the Department of Energy's Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049) provides $256,500.00 to Silvec Biologics, Inc. to support the "DELIVERY OF SIRNA-CONTAINING TETRAHEDRAL RNA NANOSTRUCTURES INTO BIOENERGY CROPS USING LDH STABILIZED SPRAYS". The award period runs from February 18, 2025 to February 17, 2026. Silvec Biologics is a biotechnology company specializing in developing RNA interference (RNAi) technologies for...

This Project Grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program provides $750,000 to the Regents of the University of California at Riverside to develop novel insecticidal proteins derived from insect-parasitic nematodes. The goal is to characterize these toxins and assess their efficacy in controlling insect pests in agricultural systems, either through transgenic crops or foliar application. This...