Inscent Receives Federal Grant to Develop Novel Mosquito Repellents

IRVINE, Calif. -- Inscent, Inc. has received a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a new generation of highly efficient, environmentally responsible mosquito repellents that eclipse current products while safely providing protection from the Anopheles gambiae mosquito species, a carrier of malaria.

Insect-borne diseases have posed the largest public health threat in humankind's recorded history, and malaria affects more than 300 million people worldwide. As malaria spreads into areas it was once considered eradicated, increasingly stringent environmental regulations have greatly limited the resources available to healthcare agencies and governments worldwide to fight mosquito populations. Existing repellents do not provide adequate protection against all disease-carrying mosquito species, are not indicated for use on young children, and are tainted with consumer concerns regarding their overall safety.

Inscent, Inc. has employed cutting-edge research to develop a series of platform technologies enabling the rapid development of non-toxic, highly efficient insect pest control products, each targeted against a specific insect species. Inscent has taken advantage of the recent Anopheles gambiae genomic sequence data in its product development. Inscent's products do not harm the environment, do not interfere with integrated pest management strategies that may already be in place, and do not harm humans, pets, or even beneficial (e.g., predatory) insect species.

NIH encourages scientific innovation and discovery through a variety of venues, including the SBIR program. The NIH has agreed to fund prototype development work that will be carried out at Inscent's laboratory in Irvine, Calif. Inscent, Inc. continues deployment of its platform technologies in this project while maintaining its wide development base, that includes products for agricultural, public health, public safety and domestic applications.

Source: Inscent, Inc.