Stephen Fletcher

Mr Stephen Fletcher

Bioinformatics and RNA biology

Gulbali Institute

Biography

Stephen Fletcher is a computational biologist whose research focuses on engineering novel bioinformatics solutions for agricultural biotechnology. His work centres on developing software and analytical pipelines for the design of highly specific RNA interference (RNAi)-based biopesticides. The current focus of his research is the creation of tools that design dsRNA constructs to target a wide spectrum of agricultural threats including insect pests, plant viruses, fungi and nematodes. This design process integrates considerations for safety and emerging regulatory standards to minimise off-target effects and ensure environmental compatibility.

Research
  • Crop protection
  • RNA interference (RNAi)
  • RNAi-based biopesticides
  • Bioinformatics
  • Software development
Publications

Recent Publications

  • Fletcher SJ, Lawrence J, Sawyer A, Manzie N, Gardiner DM, Mitter N, Brosnan CA. (2025) dsRNAmax: a multi-target chimeric dsRNA designer for safe and effective crop protection. NAR Genom Bioinform. 7(2):lqaf064. doi: 10.1093/nargab/lqaf064.
  • Gunasekara S, Fidelman P, Fletcher S, Gardiner D, Manzie N, Ashworth P, Tardin-Coelho R, Mitter N. (2025) The future of dsRNA-based biopesticides will require global regulatory cohesion. Nat Plants. 2025 Apr;11(4):664-667. doi: 10.1038/s41477-025-01953-7.
  • Tardin-Coelho  R, Fletcher SJ, Manzie N, Gunasekara SN, Fidelman P, Mitter N, Ashworth, P. (2025). A systematic review on public perceptions of RNAi-based biopesticides: developing social licence to operate. NPJ Sustainable Agriculture 3 (1) 15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-025-00057-1
  • Leiter O, Brici D, Fletcher SJ, Yong XLH, Widagdo J, Matigian N, Schroer AB, Bieri G, Blackmore DG, Bartlett PF, Anggono V, Villeda SA, Walker TL. (2023) Platelet-derived exerkine CXCL4/platelet factor 4 rejuvenates hippocampal neurogenesis and restores cognitive function in aged mice. Nat Commun. 16;14(1):4375. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39873-9.
  • Jain RG, Fletcher SJ, Manzie N, Robinson KE, Li P, Lu E, Brosnan CA, Xu ZP, Mitter N. (2022) Foliar application of clay-delivered RNA interference for whitefly control. Nat Plants. 8(5):535-548. doi: 10.1038/s41477-022-01152-8.