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Meibao Zhuang, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist and Regulatory Consultant with The Acta Group (Acta^®). Dr. Zhuang offers clients in-depth scientific knowledge and exceptional skills in developing global and regional regulatory strategies honed over a nearly 20-year career as a researcher, project leader, product developer, stewardship strategist, and regulatory affairs director with Corteva Agriscience (Corteva) and Dow AgroSciences LLC (Dow). Dr. Zhuang holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology, and Masters and Bachelors degrees in Entomology and Genetics. Fluent in English and Mandarin, Dr. Zhuang provides expert, business-sensitive solutions for multinational regulatory compliance in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Dr. Zhuang’s profound understanding of and experience in agricultural, biochemical, and industrial chemical product development and commercialization is invaluable to clients engaged in crop protection, seeds and traits development, and characterization of active ingredients. Dr. Zhuang assists clients with regulatory strategy development, study planning and monitoring, dossier development, active ingredient and product defense, label creation and amendment, supply chain communication, agency interaction, and project leadership of teams and processes to deliver key results for global business targets.

Her extensive experience with regulatory frameworks includes: in the United States -- the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act (PRIA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection Act (PPA); in the European Union (EU) -- legislative instruments concerning the placing of plant protection products (PPP) on the EU market (EC Regulation 1107/2009); and in Asia -- Decree No. 591 of the State Council of China, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) Order No. 12, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) cosmetic and new ingredient regulations, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) Biotechnology regulations.

Prior to joining Acta, Dr. Zhuang was Crop Protection U.S. Regulatory Leader for Corteva and Global Regulatory Team Leader for Dow, among other significant positions. She earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Riverside.

Professional & Community Involvement:

Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) Texas Chapter

Publications:

Herman, R., Zhuang, M., Storer, N., Cnudde, F., and Delaney, B. Risk-only assessment of genetically engineered crops is risky. Trends in Plant Science, 24(1): 58-68 (2019).

Guttikonda, S., Marri, P., Mammadov, J., Ye, L., Soe, K., Richey, K., Cruse, J., Zhuang, M., Gao, Z., Evans, C., Rounsley, S., and Kumpatla, S. Molecular characterization of transgenic events using next generation sequencing approach. PLOS ONE 11(2): e0149515. doi:10.1371 (2016).

Herman, R., Song, P., and Zhuang, M. Safety risks of cryptic reading frames and gene disruption due to crop transgenesis: What are the odds? GM Crops 2(1): 4-6 (2011).

Pereira, E., Siqueira, H., Zhuang, M., Storer, N., and Siegfried, B. Measurements of Cry1F binding and activity of luminal gut proteases in susceptible and Cry1F resistant Ostrinia nubilalis larvae (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). J. Invertebr. Pathol., 103(1):1-7 (2010).

Wright, T., Shan, G., Walsh, T., Lira, J., Cui, C., Song, P., Zhuang, M., Arnold, N., Lin, G., Yau, K., Russell, S., Cicchillo, R., Peterson, M., Simpson, D., Zhou, N., Ponsamuel, J., and Zhang, Z. Robust crop resistance to broadleaf and grass herbicides provided by aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase Trangenes. PNAS. 107(47): 20240-20245 (2010).

Zheng, Z., Xu, X., Crosley, R., Greenwalt, S., Sun, Y., Blakeslee, B., Wang, L., Ni, W., Sopko, M., Yao, C., Yau, K., Burton, S., Zhuang, M., McCaskill, D., Gachotte, D., Thompson, M., and Greene, T. The protein kinase SnRK2.6 mediates the regulation of sucrose metabolism and plant growth in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol., 153(1): 99-113 (2010).

Aimanova, K., Zhuang, M., and Gill, S. Expression of Cry1Ac cadherin receptors in insect midgut and cell lines. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 92(3): 178-187 (2006).

Xie, R., Zhuang, M., Ross, L., Gomez, I., Oltean, D., Bravo, A., Soberon, M., and Gill, S. Single amino acid mutations in the cadherin receptor from Heliothis virescens affect its toxin binding ability to Cry1A toxins. J Biol. Chem. 280(9): 8416-8425 (2005).

Bravo, A., Gómez, I., Conde, J., Muñoz-Garay, C., Sánchez, J., Miranda, R., Zhuang, M., Gill, S., and Soberón, M. Oligomerization triggers binding of a Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab pore-forming toxin to aminopeptidase N receptor leading to insertion into membrane microdomains. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1667(1): 38-46 (2004).

Zhuang, M., and Gill, S. “Mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins.” In Chemistry of crop protection: Progress and prospects in science and regulation, ed. by Voss, G., and Ramos, G. 2003, 213-234.

Zhuang, M., Oltean, D., Gómez, I., Pullikuth, A., Soberón, M., Bravo, A., and Gill, S. Heliothis virescens and Manduca sexta lipid rafts are involved in Cry1A toxin binding to the midgut epithelium and subsequent pore formation. J. Biol. Chem. 277(16): 13863-13872 (2002).