SOLASTA Bio Files First Peptide Bioinsecticide for U.S. Registration

SOLASTA Bio has submitted its first product for registration in the United States, filing regulatory packages for a peptide-based active ingredient and an end-use product targeting aphids and whiteflies with the EPA and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) in concurrent review.

The filing is the company's first step toward commercializing its nature-inspired bioinsecticide technology in the U.S. market, and it lands amid mounting grower pressure: many aphid and whitefly populations have developed resistance to existing insecticides while regulators tighten restrictions on conventional chemistry.

What does the regulatory pathway look like?

The EPA has classified SOLASTA Bio's lead peptide as biochemical, a designation that shortens and cheapens the approval route compared with conventional insecticides. That classification matters for input costs and product timelines; biochemical actives face a faster, more cost-effective review process than synthetic chemistry.

The lead active ingredient is a nature-identical peptide selected for consistent efficacy against aphids across multiple crops in extensive field and greenhouse trials. The company reports a benign ecotoxicology profile, no bioaccumulation, and no observed impact on beneficial insects — including bees — or on plant health. The first registration, if granted, will focus on aphid control in leafy greens and vegetable crops.

SOLASTA Bio is also seeking recognition from the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) for its technology as an entirely new mode of action. For growers rotating chemistries to slow resistance, a novel IRAC class would add a fresh option to rotation programs built around existing modes of action.

How did the field demonstration perform?

In early October, the company hosted investors and partners in Georgia for its second field demonstration event, showing the aphid product now under registration review. Evaluations covered aphids and whiteflies, plus selected peptides targeting Lepidoptera on different crops.

Conditions were severe. Local reports put whitefly populations at levels not seen in more than a decade. Despite that pressure, treated plots across the aphid, whitefly and lepidopteran trials showed visible reductions in leaf-feeding damage and clear improvements in plant vigor, health and appearance, with visitors observing treatment differences first-hand.

CEO and Co-Founder Shireen Davies said: "Submitting our first product for registration in the US is a defining moment for SOLASTA Bio in building the regulatory and commercial framework that will put our peptide solutions into the hands of growers. It also demonstrates that nature-inspired solutions can represent a genuine paradigm shift in insect control."

She added: "To then show our investors and partners that performance in the field, under whitefly pressure not seen locally in over a decade, was really powerful. They saw for themselves what our trials data has been telling us across crops and geographies worldwide."

Who is backing the company?

The milestone follows an oversubscribed $14 million Series A round in 2024 that drew Forbion BioEconomy Fund, Corteva Catalyst and FMC Ventures — investors tied to two of the largest crop protection makers. The company also holds a growing portfolio of U.S., European and rest-of-world patents.

Note that the Georgia results are demonstration plots and visitor observations, not harvested, replicated trial data; the registration dossiers rest on the company's field and greenhouse trial program. With a pipeline of further peptides following the lead product, SOLASTA Bio says it is positioned to move toward commercialization as the EPA and CDPR reviews proceed.