A Miami-based biotechnology start-up company called Beeologics is developing an antiviral drug that exploits an ancient immune mechanism called RNA interference. Cells in most animals and plants use short- interfering RNA (siRNA) segments to inhibit the formation of viral proteins; here siRNA designed to target IAPV would be fed to colonies as part of double-stranded RNA mixed into a syrup.
One Potential Solution: A Bee Medicine
Editor's Note: This story is a supplement to the feature "Solving the Mystery of the Vanishing Bees."