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// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Neena Mitter a good baker? She kneads attention.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Draft:Neena Mitter)

Neena Mitter is an agricultural biotechnologist who has worked on RNA-based crop protection.[1][excessive citations]

Early life and education

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Mitter was born in Ghaziabad, India. She received a B.Sc. from Delhi University and an M.Sc. and PhD from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.[2]

She was a post-doctoral fellow in the United Kingdom then worked at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute as a scientist until 2000 when she moved to Australia. She worked as a biotechnologist at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries until 2004 when she became an academic research fellow at the University of Queensland.[2]

Career and research

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Mitter led the University of Queensland team that discovered BioClay, a biopesticide technology which was announced in Nature Plants in 2017. BioClay is degradable clay used to stabilise double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and is sprayed onto plants with regular agricultural spraying equipment. dsRNA is unstable and does not give sustained release when sprayed naked (without the clay) onto plants. In BioClay the dsRNA is loaded onto non-toxic, degradable clay nanosheets. The clay protects the RNA from washing off the plant and enables the RNA to be released to the plant over many days. The formulation of the dsRNA is custom-designed to protect the plant from specific disease-causing pathogens and pests.[3][4][5][6]

Mitter leads the Sustainable Crop Protection Australian Research Council (ARC) Hub, which researches the use of double-strand RNA (dsRNA) and RNA interference (RNAi) technologies to protect crops from diseases and pests. This new process has been dubbed AgRNA – RNA for agriculture. Its benefit, versus traditional controls, is sustainability. It is specific (there is little or no damage to species that are not targeted) and it leaves no harmful residues. For example, in the control of harmful nematodes, three nematode species can be controlled with other nematode species left unharmed.[7][8]

One example of the use of dsRNA and RNAi is the vadescana (Norroa) preventative treatment (available in the US) against the Varroa mite. Varroa mites have been devastating honey bee populations around the world, including in Australia, with major adverse impacts for producers of crops such as almonds. Mitter has been talking to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and other organisations about what is needed to make this RNA treatment available in Australia.[9][10][1]

In 2017 Mitter became the inaugural director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) Centre for Horticultural Science (CHS), established to meet the growth in demand for vegetables, fruit and nuts. Avocado production has been one focus of Mitter and QAAFI and there has been success at QAAFI with tissue-culture propagation.[11][12][13]

In 2023 the science magazine Cosmos named Mitter as one of the 50 women at the cutting edge of Australian science.[14][15]

In 2024 Mitter joined Charles Sturt University where she is now Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research). She continues to be the Director of the ARC Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection at The University of Queensland.[16][17][18][19][excessive citations]

In 2026 Mitter and colleagues have reported that, as this RNA biopesticide technology shifts from proof-of-concept to practical reality, its adoption now depends on international regulatory harmonization and public trust (social licence). [20][21]

One major benefit of these biopesticides (a paper published in 2026 and co-authored by Mitter says) is the mobility of the dsRNA inside the plant. Traditional pesticides, and indeed sprayed dsRNA, lose their effect when they hit the soil. Because dsRNA can travel from leaves into the roots it provides a valuable opportunity to target hard-to-reach pests and pathogens.[22][23]

In September 2026 Professor Mitter delivered a NSW Science and Research Breakfast Seminar titled “RNA for Agriculture: From Discovery to Commercialisation” for the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer at NSW Parliament House.[24]

Honours and awards

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References

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  1. 1 2 NSW Premier's Department (2026-09-22). Prof Neena Mitter presents 'RNA for Agriculture: from Discovery to Commercialisation'. Retrieved 2026-09-29 – via YouTube.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "National Academy of Agricultural Sciences". naas.org.in. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  3. ↑ Queensland, The University of. "'BioClay' a ground-breaking discovery for world food security". News. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  4. ↑ "ARC Research Hub for Sustainable Crop Protection". www.wineaustralia.com. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  5. ↑ Mitter, Neena; Worrall, Elizabeth A.; Robinson, Karl E.; Li, Peng; Jain, Ritesh G.; Taochy, Christelle; Fletcher, Stephen J.; Carroll, Bernard J.; Lu, G. Q. (Max); Xu, Zhi Ping (2017-01-09). "Clay nanosheets for topical delivery of RNAi for sustained protection against plant viruses". Nature Plants. 3 (2): 16207. Bibcode:2017NatPl...316207M. doi:10.1038/nplants.2016.207. ISSN 2055-0278. PMID 28067898.
  6. ↑ "Australian researchers develop eco-friendly nanotechnology pesticide". ABC News. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. ↑ Clarke, Trease. "Unlocking the potential of dsRNA biopesticides: a call for global regulatory harmony". news.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  8. ↑ "About Us – Sustainable Crop Protection Hub". www.crophub.com.au. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  9. ↑ "Beekeepers call for access to new biopesticide to target varroa mite". ABC News. 2026-06-10. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  10. ↑ McGruddy, Rose A.; Smeele, Zoe E.; Manley, Brian; Masucci, James D.; Haywood, John; Lester, Philip J. (2024). "RNA interference as a next-generation control method for suppressing Varroa destructor reproduction in honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives". Pest Management Science. 80 (9): 4770–4778. Bibcode:2024PMSci..80.4770M. doi:10.1002/ps.8193. ISSN 1526-4998. PMID 38801186.
  11. ↑ "Innovation in agriculture and food". shorthand.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  12. ↑ "Smashing avocado know how". qaafi.uq.edu.au. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  13. ↑ Queensland, The University of. "Aussie avocado technology to hit Latin America". News. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  14. ↑ "IWD2023: Neena Mitter named one of 50 women at the cutting edge of Aust science | CRDC". crdc.com.au. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  15. ↑ Perfetto, Imma (2023-03-07). "50 women at the cutting edge of science in Australia". Cosmos.
  16. ↑ "Neena Mitter joins Charles Sturt University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Research - The Australia Today". 2024-10-18. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  17. ↑ Charles Sturt University. "Neena Mitter". research.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  18. ↑ Charles Sturt University. "Executive Leadership Team". www.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  19. ↑ Clarke, Trease. "Unlocking the potential of dsRNA biopesticides: a call for global regulatory harmony". news.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  20. ↑ Neil, Dave. "RNAi-based biopesticides could transform Australia's $50 billion cropping industry". news.csu.edu.au. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  21. ↑ Fletcher, Stephen; Gunasekara, Sandya; Narva, Ken; De Neef, Emma; Ashworth, Peta; Jin, Hailing; Mitter, Neena (2026-09-15). "Advancing the adoption of RNA interference-based biopesticides". Nature Plants. Nature Publishing Group: 1–12. doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02409-2. ISSN 2055-0278. PMID 42744871.
  22. ↑ Queensland, The University of. "Moving biopesticides through plants opens new opportunities". News. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
  23. ↑ Brosnan, Christopher A; Fletcher, Stephen J; Sawyer, Anne; deFelippes, Felipe F; Carroll, Bernard J; Waterhouse, Peter M; Mitter, Neena; Gardiner, Donald M (2026-01-13). "Foliar-applied double-stranded RNA is mobile, transfers to plant pathogens, and triggers RNAi". Nucleic Acids Research. 54 (1) gkaf1452. doi:10.1093/nar/gkaf1452. ISSN 1362-4962. PMC 12784973. PMID 41521660.
  24. ↑ Investment, NSW Trade and (2026-09-23). "NSW Science & Research Breakfast Seminar Series". Chief Scientist. NSW Trade and Investment. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  25. ↑ "Working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". qaafi.uq.edu.au. 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  26. ↑ "BioClay - Managing Biotic Stresses from Field to Market". gcgh.grandchallenges.org. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
  27. ↑ ATSE (25 September 2026). "Professor Neena Mitter". Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "National Academy of Agricultural Sciences". naas.org.in. Retrieved 2026-09-25.
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