- August 11, 2026
- By Maryland Today Staff
Silvec Biologics, a biotech startup co-founded by a University of Maryland plant virologist to combat a disease devastating citrus crops, announced Monday that its novel RNA-based therapy delivery product is now registered for unconditional commercial use under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.
The product is based on a naturally non-transmitted version of the citrus tristeza virus already found in most Florida citrus trees that has been reprogrammed to induce the trees to produce a natural antimicrobial peptide called defensin. The peptide, also found in spinach, has been shown to fight citrus greening disease and provide long-term protection without modification of the tree’s genome. Silvec is now working to expand its products to cover a wide range of crops and diseases.
The company, co-founded by Silvec Chief Scientist and UMD Professor Anne Simon and her brother, CEO Rafael Simon, will begin to partner with growers later this year through the Florida Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program.
Citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing, has impacted citrus production globally. Florida is especially hard hit, with production down 95% in 2025 from its pre-disease peak.
“Florida’s citrus industry is at a critical juncture, and we are depending on new approaches like Silvec’s new therapy delivery technology to ensure a viable future,” said Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, a trade association.
As the company zeroes in on an infection that threatens to wipe out citrus worldwide in coming decades, it’s preparing further technologies as well, said Simon, a member of UMD’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics who pioneered the use of a class of RNA viruses she had previously discovered to deliver therapies to plants.
“In partnership with the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Silvec is currently working on several new product generations that provide enhanced protection against citrus greening and other bacteria, fungi and insects using our novel technology platform,” she said.