Summary of Discussions From the 2019 OECD Conference on RNAi Based Pesticides

Michael L Mendelsohn; Achim Gathmann; Dimitra Kardassi; Magdalini Sachana; Emily M Hopwood; Antje Dietz-Pfeilstetter; Stephani Michelsen-Correa; Stephen J Fletcher; András Székács

doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.00740

Summary of Discussions From the 2019 OECD Conference on RNAi Based Pesticides

Front Plant Sci. 2020 May 29:11:740. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00740. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Michael L Mendelsohn¹, Achim Gathmann², Dimitra Kardassi³, Magdalini Sachana⁴, Emily M Hopwood⁵, Antje Dietz-Pfeilstetter⁶, Stephani Michelsen-Correa⁷, Stephen J Fletcher⁸, András Székács⁹

Affiliations

¹ Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, United States.
² Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Department of Plant Protection Products, Unit Environment, Braunschweig, Germany.
³ Pesticide Peer Review Unit, Scientific Evaluation of Regulated Products Directorate, European Food Safety Agency, Parma, Italy.
⁴ Environment Health and Safety Division, Environment Directorate, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, France.
⁵ Health Evaluation Directorate, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁶ Institute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology, Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Braunschweig, Germany.
⁷ Science and Technology Policy Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, United States.
⁸ Centre for Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia.
⁹ Agro-Environmental Research Institute, National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre, Budapest, Hungary.

Abstract

RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) molecules inhibit protein expression. In recent years, the application of dsRNA has been used in the development of agricultural products for pest control. The 2019 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Conference on RNAi Based Pesticides ("the Conference") brought together academic, industry, and government experts in various aspects of RNAi to discuss the current state of knowledge and topics to help in developing considerations for risk assessment. The Conference focused on environment, with some discussion of human health. Along with presentations on the use of dsRNA-based products in agriculture, government regulation, risk assessment, and a background on the Draft OECD Working Paper on "Considerations for the Environmental Risk Assessment of the Application of Sprayed or Externally Applied dsRNA-Based Pesticides" ("OECD Working Paper"), the Conference included panel discussions from presenters at the end of each session and a larger discussion session with Conference participants on the environmental fate of dsRNA, non-target organism (NTO) risk assessment, and human health risk assessment. This paper summarizes input from presenters and Conference participants during these discussions. Key considerations from these discussions have already been incorporated into the OECD Working Paper, that once finalized and published, will facilitate regulators in evaluating externally applied dsRNA-based products for potential environmental risks.

Keywords: RNA interference; double stranded RNA; environmental risk assessment; gene silencing; non-target organisms; pest control; regulation.