Artificial Vesicles for protection and delivery of fungicidal RNAs in crop disease management
Cationic nanovesicle (Artificial Vesicle) platform that encapsulates antifungal double-stranded RNA to protect it from environmental degradation, enabling longer-lasting Spray-Induced Gene Silencing (SIGS) against fungal crop pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea, offering a novel alternative to chemical fungicides facing resistance issues.
Overview
Fungal pathogens cause devastating crop losses and are typically managed with chemical fungicides, against which resistance is rapidly emerging. Spray-Induced Gene Silencing (SIGS) uses double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting essential fungal genes to suppress disease, but naked dsRNA degrades quickly in the field, limiting protection to only 1–3 days after application. This solution addresses that limitation through Artificial Vesicles (AVs): cationic nanovesicles that encapsulate and protect antifungal dsRNA, extending its functional lifetime on plant surfaces and improving disease control.
Technical specifications
- Encapsulation platform: Cationic liposome-based nanovesicles that complex and protect dsRNA cargo from nuclease degradation and wash-off from rainfall.
- Fungal uptake: Confocal microscopy confirms AVs and their RNA cargoes are readily internalized by fungal hyphae.
- Disease efficacy: AV-encased dsRNAs perform comparably to naked dsRNA in preventing post-harvest disease caused by Botrytis cinerea.
- Persistence advantage: AV-RNAs persist longer on leaf surfaces and resist removal by water washing compared to naked RNA.
- Planned validation: Treatment of pre- and post-harvest plant materials with AV-RNAs versus naked RNAs, followed by inoculation at multiple time points, with disease severity quantified by lesion size, relative fungal biomass via qPCR, and target gene expression reduction via qPCR. Multiple AV formulations will be tested for efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
Technology readiness level
The technology is at an early-to-mid stage of development (TRL approximately 3–4). Proof-of-concept has been demonstrated: AV formation, fungal uptake, and initial efficacy against Botrytis cinerea have been validated in laboratory and post-harvest settings. Ongoing and planned work focuses on demonstrating extended protection duration on living plant tissue, optimizing AV formulations for agricultural use, and scaling toward field-ready delivery systems suitable for integration into crop disease management programs.
About University of California, Riverside
UC Riverside is a comprehensive public research university within the UC system, recognized for translational work and talent development at scale. An on‑campus research and technology park, shared core facilities, and prototype spaces let companies co‑locate and validate new solutions alongside faculty. Partnerships with a medical enterprise and regional hospitals support clinical collaboration, while field sites and an extension network translate research to producers and communities across the region. Faculty secure competitive federal funding from NSF, NIH, DOE, and USDA, complemented by state and industry support. A dedicated technology transfer office streamlines IP, licensing, and startup formation, with incubator programming and flexible lab space for corporate collaborators.
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