Development of a novel class of spatial, non-insecticidal insect repellents that manipulates the primary mechanism used in host-seeking is underway at Olfactor Laboratories, Inc. (OLI), an Innovation Economy Corporation portfolio company. Blood-feeding insects such as mosquitoes, which spread malaria, dengue and filariasis, track their prey through carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in breath using their olfactory neurons (sense of smell).
Dr. Anandasankar Ray of the University of California, Riverside (UCR), Entomology Department, demonstrated in the internationally renowned scientific journal Nature that the CO2 receptor in mosquitos can be activated or inhibited by small molecules. This patent-pending technology was supported prior to Olfactor Laboratory’s involvement by UCR, the National Institute of Health, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and represents a revolutionary paradigm shift in the war against vector insects and the diseases they transmit.
