The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a global health threat due to its role as a vector of arboviruses, including dengue fever, yellow fever, Zika, and chikungunya. Of these, dengue fever poses the greatest burden, affecting 100 million people annually and causing over $40B in yearly economic damages. Historically confined to tropical regions, Aedes aegypti and the diseases it vectors are spreading to temperate regions.
Drosophila suzukii is a highly invasive fruit fly native to South-East Asia. Since 2008, it has spread into Europe, the Americas and Africa and is threatening the cherry and berry industry. Drosophila suzukii damages fruits by laying eggs inside, making them protected from insecticides. This creates huge problems for farmers and results in losses estimated in the order of several billion dollars.
We are already working on two of the most harmful insect species, but the broad applicability of our technology platform opens huge opportunities for cost-effective control of a vast range of harmful insects. We are actively evaluating opportunities to expand our product pipeline: if you would like to get in touch, please reach out at [email protected].
