Scientists at the Novosibirsk State Agrarian University (NSAU) have found a way to create a new generation of biological products that "pierce" the immunity of insect pests.
The work was done on the basis of previously obtained data on the nature of insect resistance to diseases, said Ekaterina Grizanova, a leading researcher at the laboratory of biological plant protection and biotechnology at NSAU.
«Pest insects become resistant to biological products due to increased immunity, several immune reactions. If we add immunosuppressants (a class of drugs for artificial suppression of immunity) to the drug, we will improve it, it will become more effective. Or, based on our research, it is possible to create new generation drugs, for example, based on RNA interference (a mechanism for controlling gene activity) or transgenic plants", - noted Grizanova.
According to her, today she is working in the direction of RNA interference. This method allows you to control the activity of insect genes and suppress their resistance to biological products. The interlocutor of the agency assures that it is possible to change the genome of microbes, thus increasing the infectivity of insects.
Earlier, NSAU scientists found out how insect pests become resistant to biological products. "We have selected several generations of insects for resistance to bacteria. Each generation was infected, the strongest were taken, and again selected. And we began to compare the strongest with the sensitive. Thus, we discovered several key mechanisms of insect resistance.", - said Grizanova.
According to her, the laboratory staff found out that insect immune system, regeneration, intestinal recovery after infection and other mechanisms are responsible for resistance, in particular.
For this research, Grizanova was awarded the 2018 Presidential Science and Innovation Prize. For the 10 years of its existence, the award has been marked for the first time in the field of agriculture. The girl herself became the youngest laureate at the end of the year.
Source: https://agronews.com