The fifth annual Global Awards program, run by AgTech Breakthrough, a premier market intelligence company that honors the best businesses, innovations, and products in today’s international agriculture and food technology markets, has chosen Renaissance BioScience as the winner of the “Crop Protection Solution of the Year” award.

Renaissance has created and is commercializing the world’s first yeast-based RNA interference (RNAi) precision biopesticide platform technology, which can be individually tailored to target a wide variety of pests, in the field of worldwide agricultural crop protection through cooperative collaborations. With this technology, chemical insecticides can be replaced with a more environmentally friendly and sustainable option that targets the pest’s critical genes effectively and precisely.

“The Renaissance team is thrilled to be awarded AgTech Breakthrough’s 2024 Crop Protection Solution of the Year for our revolutionary yeast-based RNAi biopesticide technology. Our Renaissance environmentally friendly solution is elegant and precise and can be applied to develop unique biopesticides targeting many different pest species. It also addresses important RNAi challenges such as the ability to manufacture at scale, durability, efficacy, and cost. We think it’s a novel and innovative tool for creating the best crop protection solutions possible. This recognition from AgTech Breakthrough is an important affirmation of our technology’s potential, and we look forward to creating more innovative biopesticides for growers and producers worldwide,” Dr. John Husnik, Renaissance’s CSO and Office of the CEO, commented on the AgTech Breakthrough Award.

“Renaissance’s RNAi technology is straightforward yet powerful. Almost 40% of annual crop production is lost due to pests with billions of dollars also lost due to invasive insects. More effective—yet environmentally friendly—pest management, strategies and solutions are needed to address this type of crop destruction. Renaissance’s ‘plug and play’ system harnesses the power of yeast as an innovation engine to address these challenges. The company’s advanced bioengineering platform is shaping the future of sustainable agriculture and industrial biotechnology. Congratulations on winning ‘Crop Protection Solution of the Year!” Bryan Vaughn, AgTech Breakthrough’s Managing Director, added.

RNAi Biopesticide Platform Technology Can Precisely Target Many Different Pests

RNAi bioeffector molecules can be expressed in yeast strains using Renaissance’s platform technology. It is possible to generate and introduce target sequences for certain pests of interest, enabling the creation of specialized and distinctive strains. These strains can be produced at minimal cost and in large quantities after being inactivated before being used in product formulation. The biopesticide may be easily incorporated into conventional crop protection application procedures, which will facilitate its widespread acceptance by farmers and the agricultural sector globally.

Conventional application techniques are utilized to apply the biopesticide product onto the crop plants. The RNAi bioeffectors are released inside the pest after the inactive yeast are eaten by the intended bug, effectively silencing the target genes and eliminating the pest. Any remaining yeast breaks down naturally without endangering people, pets, or other insects. The Colorado potato beetle (CPB), a pest that poses a significant danger to the global potato economy because it has developed resistance to numerous pesticides, is one of the first pests that this platform has effectively addressed. For large-scale agricultural applications, the company’s customized yeast strains offer a workable, sustainable option. Renaissance is also actively collaborating with leaders in the industry to create novel crop protection strategies for other harmful pests.

The AgTech Breakthrough Awards program honors excellence in agricultural and food technologies, services, companies, and products globally. The AgTech Breakthrough Awards program provides a forum for the AgTech company’s achievements public recognition and solutions in categories, including farm management, indoor farming, IoT and robotics, FoodTech, analytics, and more. This year’s program attracted thousands of nominations from 15 countries worldwide.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, Renaissance is a leading yeast bioengineering company whose platform technologies are used to develop innovative, market-ready, functional microorganisms that provide cost-effective solutions to address a broad range of environmental, health, and industrial challenges. Renaissance technologies create products for multiple end-use industries, including food and beverage, agriculture, animal and human health, and energy.