Symbiosis Control Collaboration starting in EU
20/03/07 16:00
Symbiont-Based Protection (SyBaP) or "Symbiotic Control" is rapidly gaining acceptance and financial support worldwide, but its potential is yet to be realised in Europe. To promote the development of SyBaP in Europe, we have established a forum of EU researchers and set the following goals:

  • To bring together scientists from various disciplines and backgrounds to initiate research projects promoting SyBaP
  • To lobby the EU authorities to fund this subject
  • To promote public discussion on the legal and regulatory issues associated with the implementation of SyBaP
Symbiont-Based Protection (SyBaP) or "Symbiotic Control" is rapidly gaining acceptance and financial support worldwide, but its potential is yet to be realised in Europe. To promote the development of SyBaP in Europe, we have established a forum of EU researchers and set the following goals:

  • To bring together scientists from various disciplines and backgrounds to initiate research projects promoting SyBaP
  • To lobby the EU authorities to fund this subject
  • To promote public discussion on the legal and regulatory issues associated with the implementation of SyBaP


    Currently, we have established a network involving 15 EU research groups and two biocontrol companies (BioBee, Israel and BioInsecta, Greece) with the aim to use insect symbionts for the control of major agricultural pests such as the sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci, the aphid Myzus persicae, the thrip species Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips tabaci, the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus and the olive fly Bactrocera oleae. We are circulating a draft of a letter (attached) that will be signed by as many peers as possible and will be sent to the EU officials and National Authorities to alert them to the importance of research on arthropod symbiosis and on symbiotic control. We are also preparing a pre-proposal of a EU COST action with the aim to provide an efficient platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among EU SyBaP researchers.

    The forum includes the following researchers (in alphabetical order):

  • Alberto Alma (Dept. di Valorizzazione e Protezione delle Risorse Agroforestali, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy; alberto.alma@unito.it)
  • Claudio Bandi (Dept. di Patologia Animale, Igiene e Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy; claudio.bandi@unimi.it)
  • Neil Boonhman (University of York, United Kingdom; nboonham@csl.gov.uk)
  • Kostas Bourtzis (Dept. of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Greece; kbourtz@uoi.gr)
  • Hans Breeuwer (Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; breeuwer@science.uva.nl)
  • Daniele Daffonchio (Dept. di Scienze e Tecnologie Alimentari e Microbiologiche University of Milan, Italy; daniele.daffonchio@unimi.it)
  • Angela Douglas (University of York, United Kingdom; aed2@york.ac.uk)
  • Guido Favia (Dept. of MCA Biology, University of Camerino, Italy; guido.favia@unicam.it)
  • Fred Fleury (Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology, University Claude Bernard - LYON 1, France; fleury@biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr)
  • Murad Ghanim (Dept. of Entomology, Volcani Center, ARO, Israel; ghanim@agri.gov.il)
  • Angray Kang (School of Biosciences, University of Westminster, United Kingdom; A.S.Kang@westminster.ac.uk)
  • Patrick Mavingui (Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology, University Claude Bernard - LYON 1, France; mavingui@biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr)
  • Luciano Sacchi (Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy; luciano.sacchi@unipv.it)
  • Fabrice Vavre (Laboratory of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology, University Claude Bernard - LYON 1, France; vavre@biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr)
  • Einat Zchori-Fein (Dept. of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Center, ARO, Israel; einat@agri.gov.il)