Smart Chemistry and AI for the Development of Safe Mosquito Repellents

Mosquito- and tick-borne diseases pose an emerging threat and kill more than 700,000 people worldwide annually (source: WHO). Diseases such as dengue, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease are on the rise in the Northern Hemisphere. Some of these diseases were formerly considered primarily tropical, but due to climate change and globalization, the habitats of disease-transmitting vectors have expanded. As a result, these infections are now being reported increasingly often in temperate regions, including Europe and the Netherlands. The current standard for protection against bites, the repellent DEET, has limited efficacy against mosquitoes, damages plastics and fabrics, and raises health (skin irritation, neurotoxicity) and environmental concerns (aquatic toxicity).

In previous research, using advanced machine learning, chemical synthesis, and testing, HAN and TropIQ identified powerful lead repellent molecules with activity against a wide range of insects and ticks. In the new project, we will further optimize these molecules with the aim of producing one or more candidate molecules that are patentable, powerful, effective, and safe repellents, and suitable for subsequent product development.

TropIQ Health Sciences B.V.