RBSC announces partnership with Mitacs to develop and test yeast-based RNAi technology

Jan 24 2019

Renaissance BioScience Corp. (RBSC), a leading global microorganism bioengineering company, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mitacs, the University of British Columbia and the University of Manitoba for a three-year, Cdn$975,000 multi-investigator research and development project.

Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada, will provide matching funding for the RBSC project to extend its R&D of an engineered, yeast-based RNA interference (RNAi) production and delivery platform across multiple insect and animal models. This will test and confirm the proof-of-concept utility for the system to augment or replace industrial chemical pesticides in many different agricultural applications, as well as form the basis of an animal and human biotherapeutics production and delivery platform.

We are pleased to work with Mitacs as a co-funding partner in this exciting project to further develop and test our yeast-based RNAi production and delivery platform, initially in biocontrol and biotherapeutic applications. There is a significant potential global market, for these environmentally friendly, RNAi-based technologies, especially in the crop protection and animal agricultural sectors. Up until now, the efficient and cost-effective delivery of RNAi in the field has always been a barrier to adoption. Yeast, however, as a stable, non-toxic and well-understood industrial organism, is an excellent platform to deliver on the promise of RNAi as a biocontrol and medical biotherapeutics agent.”

Dr. Matthew Dahabieh, Chief Science Officer, RBSC

Alejandro Adem, Mitacs’ CEO and Scientific Director, added:

Yeast-based RNAi therapeutics and biocontrol is an exciting emerging area of research in which Canada can become a world leader. Mitacs is excited to partner on this research and leverage Renaissance’s expertise, while helping to expand Canada’s intellectual capacity in this newly emerging field.”