Aline Koch

Aline Koch is W3 Professor of Plant RNA Transport at the University of Regensburg, Germany, where she leads cutting-edge research in plant RNA biology and biotechnology. Born in Aachen, Germany, she received her PhD in Phytopathology (summa cum laude) from the University of Giessen, Germany, where she gained international recognition for her work on RNAi-based control of fungal pathogens. Her research focuses on the development of sustainable RNA-based technologies, including non-GMO RNA spray applications for environmentally friendly crop protection and gene editing. Prof Koch's academic career includes senior positions at the Universities of Giessen and Hohenheim, with extensive experience in teaching, mentoring and securing competitive research grants. She is the author of numerous high-impact publications and serves as an advisor to regulatory agencies and industry stakeholders on RNA technologies. Her current projects include the investigation of RNA transport, stability and uptake mechanisms to improve RNAi-based solutions, and the development of novel RNA species such as circRNA, mRNA and sgRNA for agricultural applications. Prof Koch actively collaborates with international research institutes and contributes to the interdisciplinary integration of RNA biotechnology into sustainable agriculture.

List of representative bibliography

  1. Koch A., Kumar N., Weber L., Keller H., Imani J., Kogel K.H. (2013) Host-induced gene silencing of cytochrome P450 lanosterol C14α-demethylase-encoding genes confers strong resistance to Fusarium species. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110(47):19324-19329. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1306373110
  2. Koch A., Biedenkopf D., Furch A., Weber L., Rossbach O., Abdellatef E., Linicus L., Johannsmeier J., Jelonek L., Goesmann A., Cardoza V., McMillan J., Mentzel T., Kogel K.H. (2016) An RNAi-Based Control of Fusarium graminearum Infections Through Spraying of Long dsRNAs Involves a Plant Passage and Is Controlled by the Fungal Silencing Machinery. PLoS Pathog. 12(10):1-22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005901
  3. Koch A., Höfle L., Werner B.T., Imani J., Schmidt A., Jelonek L., Kogel K.-H. (2019) SIGS vs HIGS: a study on the efficacy of two dsRNA delivery strategies to silence Fusarium FgCYP51 genes in infected host and non-host plants. Mol. Plant Pathol. 20(12):1636-1644. https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.12866
  4. Höfle L., Biedenkopf D., Werner B.T., Shrestha A., Jelonek L., Koch A. (2020) Study on the efficiency of dsRNAs with increasing length in RNA-based silencing of the Fusarium CYP51 genes. RNA Biol. 17(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/15476286.2019.1700033
  5. Werner B.T., Gaffar F.Y., Schuemann J., Biedenkopf D., Koch A. (2020) RNA-Spray-Mediated Silencing of Fusarium graminearum AGO and DCL Genes Improves Barley Disease Resistance. Front. Plant Sci. 11:476. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00476.
  6. Biedenkopf D., Will T., Knauer T., Jelonek L., Furch A.C.U., Busche T., Koch A. (2020) Systemic spreading of exogenously applied RNA biopesticides in the crop plant Hordeum vulgare. ExRNA 2: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41544-020-00052-3.
  7. Schlemmer T., Barth P., Weipert L., Preußer C., Hardt M., Möbus A., Busche T., Koch A. (2021) Isolation and Characterization of Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Extracellular Vesicles to Assess Their Role in RNA Spray-Based Crop Protection. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 22(13): https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22137212.
  8. Schlemmer T., Lischka R., Wegner L., Ehlers K., Biedenkopf D., Koch A. (2022) Extracellular vesicles isolated from dsRNA-sprayed barley plants exhibit no growth inhibition or gene silencing in Fusarium graminearum. Fungal Biol. Biotechnol. 9:14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40694-022-00143-w.
  9. Schlemmer T., Weipert L., Barth P., Werner B.T., Preußer C., Hardt M., Möbus A., Biedenkopf D., Claar M., Jelonek L., Goesmann A., Garikapati V., Spengler B., Busche T., Kalinowski J., Koch A. (2021) Host-induced gene silencing involves Arabidopsis ESCRT-III pathway for the transfer of dsRNA-derived siRNA. bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.12.945154
  10. Amineni V.P.S., Petschenka G., Koch A. (2024) Double-stranded DNA reduces dsRNA degradation in the saliva and significantly enhances RNAi-mediated gene silencing in Halyomorpha halys. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.10.617619

Relevant Research/Industry Projects

  1.  SPP 2416: Code𝛘 (2023–2026)
    Title: Utilizing Chitosan-RNA-protein microgels as delivery platforms for RNA-mediated gene modulation in plants 
    Funding Body: German Research Foundation (DFG) 
    Total Funding: €236,253 
    Project Coordinator: Prof. Merzendorfer (University of Siegen); PI: Aline Koch
  2. BarEpiEdit (2022–2026)
    Title: Epigenetic Editing of Immunity Genes to Enhance Fungal Disease Resistance in Barley (Hordeum vulgare) 
    Funding Body: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) 
    Total Funding: €578,243 
    PI/Coordinator: Aline Koch
  3. sweetRNA (2024–2027)
    Title: RNA-guided crop protection for combating the Syndrome Basses Richesses (SBR) 
    Funding Body: Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism (StMELF) 
    Total Funding: €1.977.894 
    PI/Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Aline Koch (University of Regensburg) 
    Project Partners: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Universität Hohenheim, Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, Verband Fränkischer Zuckerrübenbauer e.V., Verband Bayerischer Zuckerrübenbauer e.V., Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Südzucker AG, GreenLight Biosciences
  4. SAFEbugBeads (2022–2024)
    Title: Application of RNA-based plant protection technologies for the sustainable and environmentally friendly control of Halyomorpha halys and Lygus rugulipennis in horticulture 
    Funding Body: Ministry for Food and Rural Areas, Baden-Württemberg 
    Total Funding: €429,422 
    PI/Coordinator: Aline Koch 
    Ho[RtikulturNA] (2021–2025) 
    Title: Innovative RNA-based plant protection technologies in horticulture (targeting insect pests) 
    Funding Body: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) 
    Total Funding: €722,271 
    PI/Coordinator: Aline Koch