GreenLight Biosciences Announces EPA Registration of Calantha

GreenLight Biosciences Secures EPA Registration for new bioinsecticide, Calantha, Historic Step Towards A Safer and More Sustainable Food System  

  • After a rigorous evaluation spanning more than four years, GreenLight Biosciences has been granted registration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Calantha to control the Colorado potato beetle.
  • Highly specific to the target pest, Calantha degrades rapidly in soil and water and does not harm honeybees, butterflies and other nontarget insects or mammals.
  • More than 200 field trials conducted over six years have enabled a crop protection solution effective with just 4 grams/acre,  equivalent  to a spoonful of sugar spread over an entire American football field.

Lexington, MA [1/4/2024] – GreenLight Biosciences (GreenLight Bio) has been granted registration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several states for its groundbreaking CalanthaTM product, designed to target and control the highly destructive Colorado potato beetle. An industry first, the registration of Calantha, an innovative bioinsecticide based on RNA, represents an historic stride forward in diversifying options for farmers and reducing reliance on conventional chemical pesticides, which can harm both the environment and human health. Following the EPA and applicable state approvals, the company has now successfully sold and shipped its first order.

“The registration of Calantha marks not just a milestone for our company, but a quantum leap for farmers, our food system and security, and people,” said Andrey Zarur, Chief Executive Officer, GreenLight Bio. “This is a new day for farmers seeking to balance pest management with biodiversity protection and environmental health. Calantha embodies the promise of such a future, along with the dozens of other innovations in our product pipeline. We are thrilled to witness the impending impact of this commercial chapter of our company in creating a more sustainable future.”

Calantha offers growers an additional cost-effective option to address the impacts of the mounting chemical pesticide resistance problem. Chemical pesticide resistance is estimated to cost the U.S. agricultural sector at least $10 billion each year. The Colorado potato beetle, which decimates plants in the nightshade family, including potatoes, develops resistance quickly to traditional pesticides. The pest accounts for more than half a billion dollars in crop loss worldwide each year. In addition, as regulatory bodies around the world move to limit the use of certain chemical pesticides, Calantha offers farmers a safe, effective and easy-to-use alternative.

“Potato growers have expressed their struggle with managing the Colorado potato beetle due to increasing resistance to currently available chemical products. They want effective products that align with their sustainability targets. Calantha is the perfect fit,” said Mark Singleton, Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of Plant Health. “I commend our team’s tenacity in bringing this product to market and eagerly anticipate the future milestones we will achieve.”

Calantha breaks down quickly, degrading within three days and leaving no harmful residue on plants or in the environment, soil or waterways. Consumption of the dsRNA (double-stranded ribonucleic acid) by the Colorado potato beetle – and only the beetle – causes it to stop eating and die from its own toxins. Even when tested at 100 times the rate that it will be used in agricultural fields, it has no effect on tested species other than the Colorado potato beetle. Mixed with water and applied using existing standard agricultural equipment and practices, Calantha is applied at less than one-tenth the rate at which many chemical pesticides are commonly used.

The EPA released a decision document detailing its more than four-year review of Calantha’s safety and efficacy data and information submitted by GreenLight Bio, including its response to submissions received during an extensive public comment period. Calantha is the first registration of a foliar-applied product with an RNA ingredient under Section Three of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This novel RNA-based approach enables Calantha to target the Colorado potato beetle specifically. In a separate announcement earlier this year, the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee, a global public-private technical advisory group focused on resistance management, acknowledged this novelty by creating a new category, Group 35, for ledprona, the active ingredient in Calantha, in its Mode of Action classification. Calantha is the first GreenLight Bio product to complete U.S. regulatory review and receive regulatory approval.  It is also under review by regulators in other key markets around the world. The company’s next solution targets control of Varroa mites, a devastating pest of honeybees, and was submitted to the EPA for regulatory review in early 2023. GreenLight Bio’s breakthrough platform, capable of economically producing dsRNA, fuels its robust pipeline of additional innovative insecticides, fungicides and herbicides.

Calantha will be available to growers in the United States for use on potatoes in crop year 2024. To learn more, visit Calanthaag.com.

About GreenLight Biosciences

GreenLight Biosciences is researching, developing and commercializing sustainable, effective, and easy-to-use solutions for farmers and beekeepers around the world to enable more resilient food production. As a leader in RNA for agriculture, the company has a broad pipeline addressing farmer pain points across insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. The Company’s manufacturing platform is protected by numerous patents.  For more information, please visit the Company’s website.

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TIME: How the Tech Behind a COVID-19 Vaccine is Helping Save Bees

GreenLight Biosciences feature in TIME for its honey bee protection solution and RNA-based crop protection product pipeline

Technology used to develop Covid-19 vaccines may also help combat varroa mite – pest in honeybee beekeepers have been struggling to control for years.

A new tool is in the pipeline: Boston-based biotechnology company GreenLight Biosciences has developed an anti-mite RNA treatment for beehives that uses a similar technology to Pfizer’s breakout COVID-19 vaccine.

Learn more about GreenLight Biosciences honeybee protection solution here

Still in its infancy, this RNA-based technology heralds a new revolution in preventing disease and staving off pests across the agricultural spectrum, from the botrytis that beards blueberries and grapes with fuzzy gray mold to the Colorado potato beetle and maize-munching fall armyworm that are devastating crops from North America to southern Africa, and even the spider mites that suck sap from common houseplants. RNA manipulation has the potential to become a powerful new tool in the treatment of some of agriculture’s most pernicious pests, says Andrey Zarur, who co-founded GreenLight Biosciences in 2009, with the goal of finding biological solutions to the overuse of chemicals as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in the world’s food system. “RNA will be as revolutionary to our food supply as it has already been to human health through the COVID vaccines.”

Learn more about GreenLight Biosciences product pipeline here

Read the full Time article here

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GreenLight Biosciences Outlines Development Strategy and Highlights Portfolio Updates at Plant Health R&D Day

BOSTON, March 7, 2023 —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 copy of the presentation can be found here:

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.

Availability of Other Information About GreenLight Biosciences   

Investors and others should note that we communicate with our investors and the public using our website (www.greenlightbiosciences.com), the investor relations website (https://investors.greenlightbio.com/), and on social media (Twitter and LinkedIn), including but not limited to investor presentations and investor fact sheets, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The information that GreenLight posts on these channels and websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, GreenLight encourages investors, the media, and others interested in GreenLight to review the information that is posted on these channels, including the investor relations website, on a regular basis. This list of channels may be updated from time to time on GreenLight’s investor relations website and may include additional social media channels. The contents of GreenLight’s website or these channels, or any other website that may be accessed from its website or these channels, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.   

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including those relating to the success, cost and timing of our research and development activities in our plant and human health programs, the timing of regulatory submissions and approvals, our ability to commercialize our products, the acceptance of RNA-based technologies by regulators and the public, including the timing it takes to receive regulatory approval, the success, cost and timing of our clinical trials, including estimates regarding when patients will be enrolled, when data will be reported for our ongoing clinical trials and timing to commence future clinical trials, our projected cash runway and our ability to obtain funding for our operations when needed. Forward-looking statements include statements relating to our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, periodic filings on Form 8-K, and any of our future filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Some of these risks and uncertainties may in the future be amplified by current macroeconomic conditions and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and there may be additional risks that we consider immaterial, or which are unknown. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. Our forward-looking statements only speak as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. For additional information on GreenLight and potential risks associated with investing, please see our public filings at https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1822691&owner=exclude. 

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Thomas Crampton
SVP Corporate Affairs
GreenLight Biosciences

[email protected]

Investor Contact: 

Ingrid Fung
Director, Enterprise Operations and Strategy & Head of Investor Relations

GreenLight Biosciences

[email protected] 

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Calantha for the Colorado Potato Beetle

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close up of fall armyworm on leaf

GreenLight Biosciences and Queensland University of Technology partner to tackle destructive fall armyworm using RNA

● GreenLight Biosciences and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) partner to create a solution for fall armyworm


● Fall armyworm is one of the most destructive insect pests on the planet, causing more than US$2 billion in annual crop loss worldwide


● The Australian government has been searching for a more environmentally-friendly solution to fall armyworm and is supporting the partnership with a AUD$400,000 grant

BOSTON, MA, and BRISBANE, Australia, October 5, 2022—Researchers from Boston’s GreenLight Biosciences and the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia, have announced an agreement to develop a solution to fall armyworm, which causes more than US$2 billion in annual global crop loss.

The partnership includes an Australian government grant to QUT of more than AUD$400,000  from the Australian Research Council. It brings together the teams of two preeminent researchers, Dr. Julia Bally and Professor Peter Waterhouse from the QUT Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, and GreenLight’s Plant Health research and development team.

The partnership aims to develop a solution for fall armyworm, a pest of national priority in Australia. It is also a point of emphasis that the project delivers environmentally-friendly crop protection tools against fall armyworm.

GreenLight’s plant health division is working on producing RNA-based solutions for a variety of fungi and insects that cause massive food loss and crop damage annually. In lab tests and field trials, GreenLight’s RNA-based solutions leave low or no residues.

Dr. Bally said previous collaboration on fall armyworm with GreenLight had been important to securing the grant from the Australian Research Council this year.

“We are excited to work with GreenLight Biosciences on this solution to armyworm,” she said. “We believe furthering our partnership will generate comprehensive new technologies to fight against one of the most damaging global crop pests and greatly improve Australian agritech capacity and strengthen international collaborations.”

GreenLight’s Vice President of Plant Health R&D Ron Flannagan said: “Fall armyworm has recently invaded Australia and devastates many crops, including sorghum and cotton. Our RNA platform allows us to develop solutions faster and more efficiently than was previously possible. So we are delighted to partner with QUT to accelerate our work targeting the fall armyworm with a sustainable solution.”

The project will begin with lab studies and advance to greenhouse and field trials.

“We believe this research will provide significant benefits, such as added security for Australia’s most important agricultural crops and regions and global food production,” Dr. Bally said.

About GreenLight Biosciences

GreenLight Biosciences 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. GreenLight is a public benefit corporation that trades under the ticker GRNA on Nasdaq. For more information, visit https://live-greenlightbiosciences.pantheonsite.io/

Press contact:

David Pesci

Head of Media Relations

[email protected]

For press, email: [email protected]

For investors, email: [email protected]

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GreenLight August investor presentation

GreenLight highlights its vision and key developments. Download the full PDF below.

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GreenLight Biosciences announces $109 million financing

GreenLight Biosciences (Nasdaq: GRNA), a public benefit corporation striving to bring effective and safe solutions to make food clean and affordable for everyone and dedicated to developing health solutions for every person on our planet

Continue reading →
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Bloomberg: Honeybees Find Lifeline in Covid Tech

GreenLight Biosciences features in Bloomberg for its use of Covid RNA technology to target parasites partly blamed for the honeybee crisis. Extracts from the article are below:

Technology used to develop Covid-19 vaccines may also help combat a honeybee-killing pest.

GreenLight Biosciences is developing an RNA-based syrup to attack varroa mites, a parasite that attaches itself to honeybees and feeds off them while spreading diseases. The RNA acts as an “off switch” that interferes with the mites, disrupting their ability to lay offspring that attach to bees, said Mark Singleton, chief commercial officer and general manager of plant health at the Boston-based firm.

Read the full article here.

Find out more about how GreenLight Biosciences manufactures RNA.

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2022 GreenLight work published in peer-reviewed academic journals

We will continue to update this list as more research is published throughout the year. Our team has at least three papers in the pipeline for publication this year.

Novel Mobile Phase to Control Charge States and Metal Adducts in the LC/MS for mRNA Characterization Assays – American Chemical Society, 7/26/22

Editorial: New Applications of Insecticidal RNAi – Sec. Pest Management, 5/27/22

Toxicity of a novel dsRNA-based insecticide to the Colorado potato beetle in laboratory and field trials – Pest Management Science, 2/15/22

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Scientific American: Lessons for a Plant Pandemic

GreenLight Biosciences is referred to in Scientific American in its piece asking “What Did COVID Teach Us about Preparing for a Plant Pandemic?”.

GreenLight Biosciences is a part of the effort to address the plant pandemic by tackling diseases and mutations faster than is possible with conventional pesticides or processes. An extract from the article is below:

Establish libraries for rapid screening and optimization: Genetic libraries have been fundamental to synthetic biology innovation because they permit the rapid construction and evaluation of diverse populations of genetic variants. The same framework applies to biofungicides; we can screen thousands to millions of variants to identify and optimize those that selectively interfere with a given pathogen. Once we know that a specific agent can disrupt a disease, we can develop the means to deliver the solution, whether it’s through an engineered microbe (as we are doing at Joyn Bio) or biomolecules like RNA (pursued by GreenLight Biosciences) and proteins (such as Biotalys’ antibody technology).

Read the full article here.

Find out more about how GreenLight manufactures RNA.

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GreenLight’s June investor presentation

GreenLight highlights its vision and key development pipelines in this impact deck from June. Download the full PDF below.

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GreenLight Biosciences announces new partnership with RiNova, CSO Italy, and UNAPera

NEW YORK, June 15, 2022—GreenLight Biosciences, RiNova, CSO Italy, and UNAPera signed an agreement to work toward the development and commercialization of GreenLight’s RNA-based agricultural pest solutions to farms in Italy.

The agreement aims to develop a collaboration for GreenLight’s proprietary, low- to no-residue RNA-based technology solutions designed to control fungi, viruses, and insects that attack crops, in line with the EU Farm to Fork strategy of reducing the use of traditional pesticides by 50 percent by 2030.

The memorandum of understanding, which represents one of the initiatives envisioned by the institutional mission of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna Region, will be valid for five years.

GreenLight is awaiting EPA approval for its first product, a solution that combats Colorado potato beetles, which create more than $500 million of crop damage and waste every year. The company is also currently in either field trials or regulatory trials for RNA-based solutions to a variety of pests, including:

Varroa destructor mite, which decimates and destroys honeybee hives, causes approximately $290 million in annual losses for beekeepers.

Botrytis, which affects soft fruit and other food crops, causes approximately $1.2 billion annual losses for farmers.

Powdery mildew, which affects grapes and other fruit, causes approximately $1.4 billion in annual losses for farmers and vintners.

Introducing RNA-based pest-fighting technologies into European agriculture will help EU countries and other European nations to use innovative, non-traditional methods with a novel model of action.

Field trials of GreenLight’s Colorado potato beetle solution have shown low- to no-residues, offering a variety of environmental and consumer benefits. In addition, although conventional pesticides can require special protective equipment for farmworkers, it is anticipated that just basic work gloves will be required for these products.

GreenLight Biosciences, a public benefit corporation, also has collaborative partnerships in place with Serum Institute of India, Samsung Biologics, IAVI, and other prominent global organizations.

About GreenLight Biosciences

GreenLight Biosciences 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. GreenLight is a public benefit corporation that trades under the ticker GRNA on Nasdaq. For more information, visit https://live-greenlightbiosciences.pantheonsite.io/

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