Capillary electrophoresis platform for rapid bacteriophage isolation targeting agricultural insect pests

Overview

This research proposes a novel approach to agricultural pest management by leveraging bacteriophage—viruses that specifically infect and lyse bacteria—to disrupt the gut microbiomes of insect pests. By altering the composition and complexity of these microbiomes, the technology aims to reduce pest viability and fecundity, offering a targeted, biologically based alternative or complement to conventional chemical insecticides.

The core innovation is a capillary electrophoresis (CZE)-based fraction collector capable of rapidly separating intact, viable bacteriophage populations from complex environmental samples. This platform enables the isolation of phage libraries at far greater scale and diversity than traditional methods, making routine agricultural deployment feasible. The research focuses on two significant agricultural pests: armyworm (Spodoptera sp.) and the brown marmorated stink bug.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• CZE-based fraction collection separates individual bacteriophage from simple and complex microbiota mixtures in approximately 30 minutes per experiment
• Maintains phage viability after collection, enabling downstream functional screening and amplification
• Multi-modal identification supports host determination via lysis assays on nutrient plates, next-generation DNA sequencing, and direct electron microscopy imaging
• High-dynamic-range separation demonstrated with environmental mixtures of approximately 100 individual phage
• Targeted antimicrobial action isolates phage specific to culturable gut bacteria isolated from larval and adult pest species
• Environmental sampling includes soil, leaf, and insect gut sources for comprehensive phage library development

The platform addresses a critical bottleneck in phage-based pest management: the need for large, diverse, and well-characterized phage libraries that can be routinely deployed as agricultural adjuvants.

Technology readiness level

The underlying CZE fraction collection technology has been validated through repeated experiments (n=3) across numerous biological replicates, demonstrating reliable separation of phage populations, maintenance of viability post-collection, and successful identification by host range, sequencing, and imaging. The current proposal seeks to advance the technology from laboratory validation toward agricultural application by targeting specific pest microbiomes and evaluating physiological effects on pest health. The project is planned over a two-year timeline and requires a partnership to assess the physiological impacts of phage treatment on pests and the feasibility of large-scale crop protection applications.