Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

The ultimate objective of this research project was to develop and determine the viability of a bioengineered, chimeric protein for the treatment of zebra and quagga mussel infestations. This work is being performed over several phases. Phase I was the production and testing of antibodies (Abs) derived from quagga mussels that could be used for the immunofluorescence detection and immunocapture of quagga and zebra mussel veligers. This phase of the project is described in Final Report ST-2014-9640-01 Monoclonal Antibodies for Improved Detection of Quagga Mussel Larvae. Phase II is described here in this closeout report. Phase II was an in-kind partnership between Reclamation, MWD, and Environmental Quality Operations (EQO, Austin, TX). The goal of Phase II was to capture the species specificity of the best candidate mAbs developed during Phase I and transfer it to biotherapeutic agents (“biopesticides”) that can be produced and transported by bioengineered microalgae for the control of infested quagga and zebra mussel populations. Reclamation and MWD provided support and Abs expressing hybridoma cell lines to EQO. EQO performed all of the bioengineering work in their laboratories in developing biopesticides, and microalgae as the production and transport vector for the biopesticides. Phase III is being planned for laboratory and field testing of final products on quagga and zebra mussels. To determine the effectiveness of the final products (chimeric biopesticide + microalgae production and transport vector) created from Phase II, bioengineered microalgae will be incubated with live zebra and quagga mussel veligers to determine their ability to kill the target species. Phase III is currently dependent upon finding laboratory and field locations approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Future recommendations and a short description of next steps for Phase III are provided here in this Phase II closeout report.