DAVIS, Calif., Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), a leader in the engineering and industrialization of biology to improve the quality of life and health of the planet, today announced initial studies have validated the efficacy of dsRNA for insect control applications using its proprietary ActoBiotics™ platform. With this achievement, Intrexon's collaboration with a leading global agricultural company advances to its next phase of development for biological crop protection solutions."We are pleased by the early results showing this biological expression system to be a capable and potentially superior delivery vehicle for biologically active dsRNA as compared to alternative approaches," said Corey Huck, Senior Vice President and Head of Intrexon's Food Sector. "Utilization of the ActoBiotics™ platform in crop protection either as a standalone approach or in combination with conventional systems holds substantial promise."Each year as much as 16% of global food production is lost to crop damage from insects, and industry reports estimate that spending on insecticides alone exceeds $18 billion annually. In addition to this significant loss of crops, further challenges include climate-driven geographic expansion of crop pests, emerging pest resistance to Bt crops, and increasing resistance to chemical insecticides.New crop protection technologies are critical to address these issues and improve agricultural productivity. One such innovative, environmentally-friendly approach is the utilization of dsRNA to silence target genes in multiple insect species providing for a novel mechanism and mode of action in pest management strategies. The versatile ActoBiotics™ platform enables production of an array of targeted biologicals including dsRNA for crop protection."The manufacture of eco-friendly ActoBiotics™ biologics through fermentation enables the potential for efficient production of dsRNA and easy application. We are excited to achieve this important milestone, allowing us to advance into the development phase and fully explore the promise of this platform," stated Sekhar Boddupalli, Ph.D., President of Intrexon Crop Protection and Head of Intrexon's AgBio Division.About Intrexon CorporationIntrexon Corporation (NYSE:XON) is Powering the Bioindustrial Revolution with Better DNA™ to create biologically-based products that improve the quality of life and the health of the planet. The Company's integrated technology suite provides its partners across diverse markets with industrial-scale design and development of complex biological systems delivering unprecedented control, quality, function, and performance of living cells. We call our synthetic biology approach Better DNA®, and we invite you to discover more at www.dna.com or follow us on Twitter at @Intrexon, on Facebook, and LinkedIn.TrademarksIntrexon, ActoBiotics, Powering the Bioindustrial Revolution with Better DNA, and Better DNA are trademarks of Intrexon and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.Safe Harbor StatementSome of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our business. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release.For more information regarding Intrexon Corporation, contact:Investor Contact:Christopher BastaVice President, Investor RelationsTel: +1 (561) 410-7052investors@intrexon.comCorporate Contact:Marie Rossi, Ph.D.Senior Manager, Technical CommunicationsTel: +1 (301) 556-9850publicrelations@intrexon.comSOURCE Intrexon Corporation