Vestaron works with Berkeley Lights to search for pesticidal peptides

The biotech company Berkeley Lights is working with the crop protection firm Vestaron to find naturally occurring pesticidal peptides. Berkeley Lights’ technology can rapidly screen pesticide candidates by testing their effects on cells stored in thousands of wells on a chip. The company says that because its wells are 100,000 times smaller than typical ones, it can conduct more assays more quickly. Vestaron’s goal is to find safe, sustainable pesticides that work on pesticide-resistant organisms. The company already sells peptide insecticides based on spider venom that kill caterpillars, thrips, whiteflies, aphids, and spider mites.