Genolution receives approval for 'honeybee AIDS' therapy

Genolution, a Korean company focusing on eco-friendly bio products, said Honey Guard-R Solution, a gene therapy designed to combat Sacbrood Virus (SBV), a severe viral disease often referred to as "bee AIDS," received formal approval from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (QIA).

Touted by the company as the world's first gene therapy for honeybees, Honey Guard-R Solution is designed to combat Sacbrood Virus (SBV), a severe viral disease often referred to as "bee AIDS."

Sacbrood Virus is a devastating disease that causes larval honeybees to die and decay.

The virus poses a significant threat to bee populations, having decimated over 90 percent of Eastern honeybee colonies in countries like China, India, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Due to its high transmission and fatality rates, the disease has been classified as a national livestock infectious disease.

Honey Guard-R, an RNA-based gene therapy, was developed as a research project by the QIA's Bacterial Disease Division.

This product is now the only veterinary medicine approved for treating Sacbrood Virus in honeybees, as clinical trials have shown that Honey Guard-R can reduce larval mortality by over 60 percent and decrease viral load by more than 90 percent.

The treatment is also user-friendly. Beekeepers can mix the solution with sugar water, which the bees consume, leading to effective virus suppression.

The economic importance of honeybees is immense, contributing an estimated $690 billion to global food production and approximately 5.8 trillion won ($4.1 billion) to Korea's economy through pollination.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 70 percent of the top 100 crops that make up 90 percent of the world's food rely on bee pollination.

As a result, the disappearance of honeybees would, therefore, threaten global food security and the broader plant ecosystem.

Following this approval, Genolution is preparing to supply Honey Guard-R to government agencies for national livestock disease control and directly to individual beekeepers. The company is also planning to expand into major Asian markets next year.

"We are currently investigating markets where our Korean approval can facilitate approval in those countries and where additional clinical trials may be required," a company representative said. "Our focus is on markets that we can enter swiftly."