Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME

The core competencies of Fraunhofer IME are structured in two divisions, "Molecular Biotechnology" and "Applied Ecology", on four locations. In Aachen and Münster, we establish demand-optimized plants, animal cells and microorganisms for various industrial applications. At the institute branch "Bioresources" in Giessen, which belongs to the "Molecular Biotechnology" division, a worldwide unique center for the exploitation of bioresources is being established. The division "Applied Ecology" in Schmallenberg concerns iteself with risk evalutation of synthetic and biogenic substances for both environment and consumers. 

On March 12, 2026, Dorothee Bär, the German Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), visited the Bioresources Division of the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) in Giessen.

The focus was on innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture—ranging from a novel RNAi spray against the Colorado potato beetle to the use of insect larvae as a protein source and sustainable fertilizer.

In this study, we evaluate Altenusin as a tyrosinase-inhibitor scaffold by connecting discovery, production, and mechanism.

The validation of the OECD guideline for an extended one generation reproduction test with zebrafish (ZEOGRT) has made significant progress. The data collected in an international ring test and a detailed evaluation have now been published by Dr. Matthias Teigeler an his team at Fraunhofer IME in a report by the German Federal Environment Agency. 
In the final step, the results will be submitted to the OECD validation management group for commenting. This brings the completion of the guideline closer.

The study shows that Darobactin B stands out as a promising anti-biofilm approach and could represent a new option against stubborn biofilm infections. Read on to learn more about the mechanisms, experiments and potential applications.

Climate change and intensive agriculture are promoting the spread of insect pests. At the same time, conventional insecticides are coming under pressure due to environmental and health risks and increasing resistance. With Calantha® (active ingredient: ledprona), GreenLight Biosciences has obtained approval in the USA in 2023 for the world's first RNAi spray. A recent study by GreenLight Biosciences, the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME (Bioresources Division) and Justus Liebig University Giessen explains the mechanism of action. The spray specifically switches off a vital gene in the Colorado potato beetle and also triggers a previously undescribed secondary effect, which leads to a lethal accumulation of proteins in the insect's body. The study demonstrates the specificity of the dsRNA and identifies the subsequent proteasome malfunction caused by the downregulation as the mechanism of action of ledprona.

Twenty-four doctoral students from the Aachen, Schmallenberg, and Giessen locations came together for the Fraunhofer IME PhD seminar and presented their innovative research work. The two-day event provided time for networking and stimulating exchange.

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a devastating super-pest of potato crops in the northern hemisphere. Chemical control methods are expensive, harmful to non-target species, and inefficient because CPB populations can rapidly evolve resistance to multiple classes of insecticides. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) provides an opportunity for the sustainable and targeted control of CPB by RNA interference (RNAi). A dsRNA active ingredient (ledprona, marketed as Calantha®) targeting proteasome subunit β5 (PSMB5) achieves the efficient suppression of PSMB5 gene expression and protein synthesis, causing CPB mortality and protecting crop plants in the laboratory and field. To understand the mode of action of ledprona in more detail, expression levels of other proteasome subunit genes and proteins and correspondingly the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins were measured in ledprona-treated CPB larvae. This study confirms the strong downregulation of PSMB5 mRNA and PSMB5 protein, as well as the systemic upregulation of other proteasome transcripts and the accumulation of cell waste in the form of ubiquitin-labeled degrons that correlate with larval mortality. This comprehensive characterization of ledprona’s mode of action expands our previous knowledge of the only sprayable dsRNA pesticide with regulatory registration in the United States and may facilitate future efforts to control CPB.