Sustainable pest control

About

Research within the Gatehouse and Edwards lab at Newcastle University focusses on the development of novel biopesticides derived from biological molecules such as venom peptides, vegetal proteins and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that are highly specific, demonstrate high efficacy and are benign to key ecosystems providers.

Most chemical pesticides disrupt normal function of the insect central nervous system (CNS) by irreversible binding to receptors and ion channels within the neurons, typically resulting in paralysis through interrupting the action potential. Homeostasis of the insect CNS can also be disrupted via RNAi induced by long dsRNA molecules to remove or reduce the number of receptors and channels being replaced during neuron growth and turnover. We have demonstrated downregulation of CNS component gene expression and reduced survival in both coleopteran and lepidopteran pest insects via oral delivery of formulated and non-formulated long dsRNA.

In addition to the development of dsRNA-based biopesticides for control of pest insects, we would also be interested in delivering a project for control of crop pest insects based on fusion-protein technology, which we are also actively working on.

The Cuskin Lab at Newcastle is interested in the discovery, characterisation, and application of novel carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes). Currently, we have projects aimed at developing specific CAZymes for control of bacterial plant pathogens through biofilm degradation. We have shown CAZymes effective at biofilm degradation both in the lab and in growing plants during bacterial infection. The lab is experienced in molecular microbiology, enzymology, protein biochemistry, biofilm assays. Additionally, we are looking to expand this project to other bacterial and fungal plant pathogens and have candidate enzymes for development.