Genetically Engineered Black Flies to Reduce Waste and Keep it Out of Landfills

Scientists at Macquarie University in Australia, led by synthetic biologist Dr. Kate Tepper envision a future where engineered flies could transform waste management and sustainable biomanufacturing. The team proposes using genetically engineered (GE) black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) to address worldwide pollution challenges and produce valuable raw materials for industry.

Black soldier flies are already valued in waste management. They consume commercial organic waste before being processed as ‘insect biomass' into foods for domestic pets and for commercial chicken and fish farmers.

Senior author Dr. Maciej Maselko, who heads an animal synthetic biology lab at Macquarie University's Applied BioSciences says, “Insects will be the next frontier for synthetic biology applications, dealing with some of the huge waste-management challenges we haven't been able to solve with microbes.” Dr. Maselko added that black soldier flies can be fed straight, dirty trash. "When it is just chopped into smaller pieces, black soldier flies will consume large volumes of waste a lot faster than microbes,” he said.

Commercialization of black soldier fly biomanufacturing is already underway through EntoZyme, a Macquarie University spin-out company. Dr. Tepper says that GE insects have potential, not just in the multi-billion-dollar waste management market, but also in the production of a range of high-value industrial inputs.

For more details, read the article in The Lighthouse.